Mass Effect Reloaded
by thebluninja
Summary: Facing the Catalyst, Adept Jane Shepard takes the Kirk path, and cheats. Thrown back in time to the very start of her Spectre career, can she actually save the entire galaxy from the Reapers, or will everything end up the same despite her knowledge of the future? Shakarian shipping.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Yes, it's another Mass Effect story. My muse would not leave me alone all day until I sat down and wrote this out. I'll try not to let it hold up my progress on What The Effect._

* * *

Shepard wavered on her feet, breathing heavily as she tried to focus on the Catalyst's words. "So … destroy the Reapers, and xenocide my allies. Or control them, and enslave my allies. Or use funky space magic to rewrite every single strand of DNA in the universe?"

The unwavering hologram of the child-Catalyst nodded. "Which will you choose?"

Considering it, the adept started limping her way slowly towards the beam of light straight in front of her. The hologram stayed where it was; she wasn't sure if it couldn't move or just didn't care. A few steps away from the beam, she stopped, looked back over her shoulder, blocking her hand from the hologram with the bulk of her charred body, and grinned ferally. "I choose _GO FUCK YOURSELF!_" she shouted, and flung her biotic-wreathed hand into the beam, flinging Stasis at it.

"So bbeeeee iiiiiiiittttttttttttttt," the Catalyst said, its voice slowing drastically down until the last syllable was a bass rumble dropping to subsonic, and then the universe came to a halt. Everything was blinding light and painful piercing silence.

"Commander," came an irritated-sounding asari voice, "do you have any solid evidence to present?"

Shepard blinked as the world resolved around her, and looked up to her left. "Saren?" she said, confused and incredulous.

"You see," the not-yet-proven-renegade Spectre said dismissively. "This is just another feeble effort by a failed candidate," the turian glared pointedly at Captain Anderson, "to discredit me."

"Actually," Shepard quickly broke in, "would you put Nazara on the line? I'd like to ask it a few questions." The extra-size hologram gaped at her in shock. "Nothing major, just some minor things like how many cycles it's been around, whether its name means something or is the name of the species it harvested, that kind of thing. Oh, and say hi to Harbinger for me."

Silence ruled the Council chamber for several seconds, as the ruling members and Udina looked back and forth between Shepard and Saren, confusion and curiosity on all their faces in different proportions. Then Saren, swearing, suddenly cut the connection. "Yep. I know – that doesn't count as solid evidence. Give me two hours, and Garrus Vakarian, and you'll have it. Is that alright, Councillors?" she asked sweetly.

Sparatus cleared his throat, glancing briefly at his fellow leaders. "I don't see a problem with that. I'll send a message for him to report here -"

"No need," Shepard cut him off politely. "I know where to catch up with him, I just wanted permission from the Council first. See you in two hours." She turned around, gesturing to Ashley and Kaidan to join her, and also to Captain Anderson. "Sir, would you walk with me a ways?"

They reached the bottom of the steps before Anderson halted, one hand on Shepard's shoulder. "Commander, mind explaining what the _hell _that was up there?"

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly, and nodded. "Yes, Captain, I do mind. I'd really like the chance to prove that I know what I'm doing, and I think my previous service under your command is sufficient for that." As all three Alliance members gaped at her in shock, she continued blithely. "I asked you to walk with me because I'd like to you relay a message to Admiral Hackett for me. There's data in the Prothean archives on Mars for a construction project. It's called the 'Crucible,' and it's something about half the size of the Citadel. The faster he starts constructing it, the better."

Captain and Commander stood staring at each other for several moments, and Anderson quickly realized that this _wasn't_ the Jane Shepard he was used to dealing with. In a matter of mere moments, her eyes had gained years of experience and pain, and somewhere in there was a determination the Skyllian Blitz had only hinted at. "Alright, Shepard, I'll give you this chance. You've proven your abilities and your reliability before, but I hope you can trust me enough to tell me what's going on."

She nodded. "Hopefully, I will be able to. Also, if you can, tell him to send at least a company of Alliance marines to Feros colony. I'll forward all the applicable details soon as I finish my errands here and get back to the Normandy." Saluting quickly, she turned and walked towards a cab.

"Commander, you mind filling _us_ in on just what the hell is going on?" Kaidan said, jogging a few steps to catch up with her speedy departure. "I mean, if you want us following your lead and everything."

"In the car, I'll give you the short version on the way." They piled into the vehicle, programming its auto-pilot for the medical clinic in the Upper Wards. "Inside the clinic, we're going to find several hostiles holding Doctor Michel at gunpoint. Garrus will also be there, and we will help neutralize the thugs without the doc being hurt."

"Garrus?" Ashley asked skeptically. "You're already on a first name basis with a skull face?"

"_Chief_ Williams, you _really_ want to find more professional language," Jane responded frostily. "Once we've resolved the hostage situation, we are heading to the C-Sec academy to recruit a krogan warlord, Urdnot Wrex."

"Lemme guess," Kaidan said, "then we go rescue a quarian damsel in distress?" Shepard turned sharply to look at him, but realized quickly that he had no memories of four years of the future.

"Actually, yes. After that, we assist Wrex in taking out a local piece of scum named Fist, who's working for Saren. Then we take the evidence that the quarian damsel, Tali'Zorah vas," she caught herself, racked her brain for a moment, then continued, "nar Rayya, back to the Council."

"I bet they'll make you a Spectre then," Ashley said, and Shepard just nodded. "Then what, we go find Saren and kick his metallic butt until he gives up."

Shepard took a deep breath, watching as the car swooped in to the dock area next to the clinic. "No, then things get very, very complicated."

As the car settled, they popped the doors open, readying their weapons. "LT, I'm going to hit them with a singularity soon as I can get a good view. Ash, stick with the pistol – I don't want too many bullets out there." They opened the door, spying Garrus halfway crouched behind the wall, and the thugs threatening Doctor Michel. "Hey, ass-face!" Shepard called to them, then flung out the singularity, yanking all three of them into the air.

In moments, Garrus and Ashley had disarmed all three of them with careful rounds, leaving the thugs injured but not dead. "Thanks for the assist," Garrus started, and it took all of Shepard's willpower not to simply throw herself into his arms, reminding herself that _this_ Garrus hadn't become Archangel, hadn't thrown himself through the Collector base right by her side, hadn't fought his way to within meters of the beam to the Citadel on Earth.

"Vakarian, you're with me." She gestured sharply towards the door as Williams collected the dropped weapons. After all, she'd better fill her bank account as big as possible now, since TIM probably wouldn't be shuffling millions of credits in her direction. "Already cleared with the Council. C'mon, let's go get that evidence on Saren."

His mandibles flared out in that position of surprise, but fell in behind her readily enough. "You know where the evidence is?"

She grinned cockily. "Kind of. I know who has it, anyway. So let's go save a damsel in distress."

They all followed her down into the C-Sec academy, where Wrex was once again being hassled by the officers. "Urdnot Wrex," she called out clearly, and the whole knot of turian officers surrounding him turned to look at her oddly. "You waiting for an engraved invitation? Let's go." She waved a hand towards the stairs towards the Lower Wards, and though confused, the krogan fell in with her anyway.

"Look, human, I don't know what you think is going on here." Wrex was already starting to bluster and threaten, so without a further word, she turned on him, stalked across the two steps separating them and slammed her forehead into his bony plate.

"I'm Commander Shepard," she said, voice filled with steel. "You're Urdnot Wrex, one of two people capable of stopping the krogan species from driving themselves into extinction, and I look forward to the day I can call you Emperor Urdnot." Ashley, Kaidan, and Garrus were all exchanging similar deer-in-the-headlights looks behind her. "Right now, the Shadow Broker contracted you to take out Fist. First, we're saving someone from Fist's goons, then we're going to bust his face in. Then you're going with me to save the whole fucking galaxy." She leaned forward enough to match glares with him. "Capiche?"

The tableau held for several seconds before Wrex started laughing. "Damn, you've got a quad! Lead the way then. I'm with you." He glanced at Garrus' obvious C-Sec armor. "Long as I can still blow Fist's head off. That's what I'm getting paid for."

She turned around to look at the turian, and he blanched. "Normally, I'd side with Garrus. I do insist that we get a chance to interrogate him first though."

"Done." They all crowded into the elevator, which seemed more crowded with four mystified people and one overly confident future-slash-former Spectre. Down below, they trooped out of the elevator, and Shepard turned into the alleyway. "So, who are we looking for?" Wrex asked.

Coming from the other direction, a young quarian woman stopped dead at the appearance of five armed people. "Tali'Zorah vas," _damnit_, Shepard thought, _I have to stop doing that_, "sorry, _nar_ Rayya, I'm Commander Jane Shepard of the Alliance. Would you please accompany me?"

She was already raising her omni-tool defensively, but as her companions raised their own weapons, Shepard irritably waved them all down. "How do you know who I am? And what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to stop Fist's hired goons from killing you and destroying the evidence you gathered on Saren. Then I'm taking my companions here," she gestured behind her, "shooting my way into Chora's Den, and letting Fist learn why it's an exceptionally _stupid_ idea to betray the Shadow Broker. After that, if you're willing, I intend to bring your evidence to the Council, be made a Spectre, and include you on my totally-insane-if-I-told-you-all-the-details plan to save the entire galaxy." Grinning madly, she stepped forward, extending a hand. "What do you say? I'm pretty sure I can get you home from your Pilgramige as Tali'Zorah _vas Rannoch_."

They stared at each other for several more seconds, then a turian and a trio of salarians came in the door behind Wrex, saw the group of people between them and their target, and panicked. The firefight was brief and rather one-sided, as all four of them focused all of their firepower on the krogan, giving all five others free shots at three of them while Wrex used the fourth one, one of the salarians, as an impromptu melee weapon against a steel crate.

"Uh," Tali paused, obviously swallowing hard, "yeah, sure, I'm in." She stood rooted to the spot for several moments as Shepard swept past her towards the other end of the alleyway that led to Chora's Den, falling in behind the other two Alliance soldiers and next to Garrus. "Is this human _completely insane_?"

Wrex laughed again, filling the alleyway even as the door to the walkway in front of the club opened. "She's the best kind of crazy," he said. "She's crazy like a _warlord_."

As they neared the door to the club, Shepard paused, and looked at the door. Flexing her fingers, she hit the door with a Warp, then a Singularity. As the door crumbled, she strode right through her own power display, stopping inside the door as the startled mercenaries stared at her. "I'm Commander Shepard," she proclaimed loudly, "and you have two choices right now. Surrender," she glanced around, and her voice dripped with menace, "**or die**."

Half of them instantly took option one, throwing down their weapons and cowering in place with hands above their heads. The others opened fire, and in a second she had already vanished, leaping over the bar and opening fire with her pistol. The others, right behind her, launched their own volleys of accelerated metal and biotic powers. In under thirty seconds, all of Fist's guards who resisted had fallen, and they quickly gathered all of the weapons, dumping them into a small crate retrieved from under the bar. "Ash, Kaidan, Garrus – stay in here and keep at eye on these guys until C-Sec arrives to take the survivors into custody."

With Wrex flanking her, and Tali nervously following, they strode through the back, the two in the lead simply rabbit punching the dock workers, confiscating their pistols, and leaving them gasping on the floor before going into the back. Fist tried to activate his turrets, but Tali was quicker on the uptake, hacking one, and they just stood back as the two turrets blew each other to pieces while the turncoat cowered inches below the deadly rain.

"Fist," Shepard said, "you've been a very stupid boy." She strode up the two steps, grabbing him by the collar and, with a slight biotic assist, hurl him through the air to crash between the feet of her two friends. "First mistake, obviously, was siding with Saren." She stalked back down to him, resting one foot on his belly. "In case you didn't gather, I _really_ don't like him. Second mistake, you tried to have Tali killed." She grinned again, and Fist knew his life was about to flash before his eyes.

"Wait," Tali said, moving around them to Fist's computer on his desk. "Just in case he has a dead man switch set up, I want to download this stuff first." Shepard raised her eyebrows, but nodded and waved expansively while Wrex paced back and forth next to Fist's head, switching back and forth between his weapons – first pistol, then shotgun, then assault rifle. "Alright, done."

Before anything else could be said, Wrex slammed one giant foot down on Fist's neck, crushing it instantly, and watching dispassionately for the handful of seconds it took for the ruptured arteries to bulge out the skin and the human to die. "There we go. So what's this quest, anyway?"

Holstering her own pistol, and stepping off the smelly body in distaste, moving for the door. "Follow along to the Council chambers." They followed, and moved through the sudden crowd of C-Sec officers arresting the unharmed mercenaries, gathering up the other three on the way. Outside of Chora's Den, they piled into two aircars, flying up to the Council chambers.

Two turian officers tried to stop Wrex and Tali from walking up, before Shepard Singularitied one of them and Wrex head-butted the other one. As a group they walked up and rejoined Udina. "Where's Anderson?" she asked.

"He's still in conference with Admiral Hackett, as of ten minutes ago, at least," Udina said accessing his omni-tool. "No, he's on his way up the elevator. The Council won't be out for a few more minutes anyway." Even as he spoke, Sparatus was emerging from their private chambers, the other two several paces behind him. "I hate those slow elevators," Udina muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard, and Shepard nodded along with him.

For once, none of the Council made any pompous comments or disparaging remarks. In fact, they hadn't said anything yet when Shepard gestured Tali forward, seeing Anderson hurrying up the stairs from the corner of his eye, and simply said, "Listen to this."

Tali played the audio file, which was slightly longer than she had remembered. "I was under the impression that geth memory couldn't be retrieved," Valern said.

"It's difficult, but not impossible," Tali said, somewhat nervously. "I was trying to retrieve memory cores of geth to send information back to the Migrant Fleet."

"Saren isn't the real threat here," Shepard said, and everyone's eyes went to her. "This is," she raised her own omni-tool, showing the image of Nazara, aka Sovereign. "This is Nazara. Saren calls it Sovereign. It is _not_ a geth warship, and I can prove it."

"How do you intend to prove it, and what kind of threat is one ship?" Sparatus asked, sounding doubtful.

"Have you heard of the Prothean extinction?" Shepard asked dryly. "There's not just one of these. Board the Destiny Ascension, and follow me to Mnemosyne. I'll show you one that's been crippled." The entire Council chamber was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. "One planet. Hell, bring as many ships as you feel like. After I show you that, I'll hunt down Saren. You know, before he does something truly crazy like loose the rachni on the galaxy again."

Tevos scowled down at Shepard. "Really? This dreadnought is dire enough that we should drop everything and rush out to the Traverse on your say so?"

Shepard looked up calmly at her, and mentally put down her ace card. "If you don't believe me, ask Vendetta. You know, the Prothean VI housed in the beacon inside the giant statue in the Temple of Athame on Thessia." The other two councilors turned in unison to glare at Tevos, and she couldn't hide her surprise. "So. We need to go, because I have several other things to do that are time sensitive. Or should I pull out some other highly sensitive pieces of information?" _Of course, I don't have much else_, she thought.

"We'll leave within the hour," Sparatus said. "I, at least, am eager to see this evidence of yours. First though, I suppose we'd better make you a Spectre before you decide to collapse galactic civilization out of spite." She could tell he was joking, though probably Valern was thinking the same thing without the humor.

She took the oath quickly, and as the Council turned back to their private chambers, she turned to Udina and Anderson. "Shepard, how –"

She held up a hand quickly. "Captain, can we discuss this on board the Normandy? I really wasn't kidding when I said I had time-sensitive things to do." Anderson and Udina exchanged glances, and reluctantly, he nodded. "Thank you."

Splitting up into numerous cars, they sped out to the C-Sec academy, taking what Shepard still considered the most annoying and time-consuming docking point in the entire Citadel. They shuffled through the airlock in groups of four, the most they could get and still have the sterilization field work, and Shepard maneuvered to get herself, Anderson, Garrus, and Tali in the first batch. "The short version then. I've done all this before."

"Say what now?" Garrus interrupted. "You're reliving all of these events?"

"Yep." There was a bare second of silence to let that sink in. "That's how I know about the Crucible, how I knew Tali had the evidence before I ever spoke to her, and a bunch of other things like where all of your sensitive spots are, Garrus." The particular spread of his mandible she knew indicated embarrassment, and she continued quickly before Anderson could comment on human-turian relations. "Udina's going to try and maneuver you out of the Normandy to make it mine, and while I hate that, I need _this_ ship." _Until I can steal the SR-2, anyway._ "So Hackett should put you in charge of the Crucible project, especially if you pick up Conrad Verner and bring him with you."

"Saying I buy all of this," Anderson said, glancing up briefly at the digital display counting down the seconds left, "the things that destroyed the Protheans are on their way, and you know how to beat them?"

"I almost did last time, but my options at the last second weren't good enough. So, I cheated." She shrugged as the doors opened, and they hurried into the ship. "Joker, prep the ship for launch. As soon as the other party is in the airlock I want us moving!" Anderson added a simple, "That means _now!_" and they moved for the message room behind the CIC.

"You cheated," Tali said simply. "After what I've seen in the last hour, I actually can believe that you thwarted the _laws of physics_."

Grinning, Shepard sat down in a chair, waiting for everyone else to get through decontamination. Probably, Udina right now was trying not to fidget and hide behind Ashley from Wrex. "What can I say? My dad's middle name isn't Kirk for nothing." At everyone's blank looks, she sighed. "Right. Note to self, institute crew movie night ASAP."

"Shepard," Anderson started, only to get interrupted by Udina hustling through the door, followed more leisurely by Wrex, Ashley, and Kaidan, "What happens when we get there?"

She nodded, and rose from the chair to stand at the head of the room, Udina promptly stealing her seat. "Pressley, patch this through to the Destiny Ascension, and whatever other ships are accompanying it."

There were a few minutes of silence before the navigator responded. "Aye Commander, you are patched through to all seventeen ships in the task force." She blinked in surprise, mouthing _Seventeen?_ at Anderson and receiving a shrug in response.

"Ahem. All right. To all ships receiving, this is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. We are en route to the planet Mnemosyne. I hope everyone has heard before of the planet Klendagon, specifically the Klendagon Rift, which is in a different system of the same relay cluster. The rift itself is either the remains of a giant mass accelerator, or the glancing impact from one.

"Stuck in low orbit around the planet Mnemosyne is the crippled remains of what the Protheans called a 'Reaper.' It is a two-klick long synthetic lifeform. The one in orbit has had all of its computing power, all awareness if you will, destroyed, but other functions such as gravity and barrier fields remain intact. The principal danger of the Reapers is not their destructive power – which is considerable, though we aren't in danger from this one – but the more insidious ability to mentally control organic lifeforms.

"And that one _is_ intact. Any organic lifeform spending more than, at most, a day on board that vessel will start taking actions to support Nazara, and by extension, Saren. The Reapers _exist_ solely to 'harvest' all species capable of interstellar flight. As you'll note, the Klendagon rift is thirty-seven million years old – _so is the crippled Reaper_."

Joker's voice cut in briefly on her monologue. "Approaching mass relay, Captain, Commander. Arrival in Thorne system, eta one hour." She took a second to be glad the pilot had curbed his usual sarcasm.

"I'm not entirely clear on how this indoctrination can be resisted, and I don't believe it can be cured. Therefore, I ask that no exploration of the wreckage take place at this time. While telepresence workarounds might be possible, I ask for a small amount of patience from the Council and all member races to give me a chance to find a safer way to proceed."

She tapped her omni-tool to cut off the broadcast. "Seventeen ships? Who all is with us?"

Udina cleared his throat, pulling up the information. "Two other Alliance frigates. Ten turian ships from frigate to cruiser. Four salarian explorer ships. And one Asari matriarch on her private yacht."

The last one brought a round of disbelief. "Alright then," Shepard said, "At least they won't be able to keep this a big secret. Every make yourself at home as best you can, I suppose. Ambassador Udina, can I speak with you privately? And Tali, when I'm done with him, I'd also like to talk to you."

Everyone left the room but Udina, who remained in the chair, in the sort of pose that looked relaxed but was probably calculated to the millimeter. "What did you need, Commander?"

"Not much. Just want you to pass a message on to the Illusive Man." He started to protest and she waved it off irritably. "Shove the objections, I know you're either part of, or at the least taking money from, Cerberus. Right now, I really don't give a damn."

They stared at each other for several minutes before Udina grunted, leaning forward in the sort of threatening post that probably worked quite well on the average bureaucrat. "What is the message?"

"Tell him to hurry the fuck up and finish my SR-2. There's only one way to stop the Reapers – _my_ way. He can either help me, or **I will put him in the fucking ground.**" She met Udina's eyes, and he blinked first, sweat popping out on his forehead. "Oh yeah, have him get a spot ready for an AI core – I'll let him know what to use for it when the time comes. And when the time comes, Miranda Lawson will be on board as my XO."

His eyes wide, he carefully pulled a handkerchief from a pocket of his suit and wiped off his face. "Anything else? A retirement mansion on Beckenstein, perhaps?"

She shook her head. "Nope. That's it. Send in Tali, please." Clearly dismissing him, she turned around to stare at the holographic projectors while she organized her thoughts. Udina left after a moment, Tali coming in before the door had barely opened. "You seem eager for this conversation."

"You called me _vas Rannoch_. Which means that in whatever future you came back from, we _beat the geth_! I can't wait to hear how!" She sounded like a lottery winner – or, Shep reflected in good spirits, the same way she herself had after getting laid for the first time.

"Actually, there's only one way back to Rannoch," she said slowly, and could see the confusion creep up, the defensive posture the Tali she remembered had grown out of. "Negotiate for peace."

"_What?_" the quarian cried. "But, but, they drove us off our planet!"

"Only after you tried to _exterminate_ them, and went through a civil war where you killed as many of your own damn people as the geth did!" She cut off her tirade, holding up her hands and taking a few deep breaths. "I've seen the geth numbers. I've seen the geth fleets. I've watched the Migrant Fleet lose _half their number_ before I threatened Gerrel with being shot by yours truly. Only _then_ did your people finally stop this stupid confrontation and get to go back home."

The two women stared at each other for several minutes before Tali finally sagged down into a chair, bonelessly. "How sure are you that the geth will negotiate?"

Shepard sat down next to her, reaching out and taking one three-fingered hand in her own. "Are you willing to trust me?"

A brief chuckle came out. "Do I have a choice? You know all of my darkest secrets."

Snorting, Shepard shook her head. "Tali, _you_ don't have any dark secrets." She keyed up her omni-tool, accessing the ship's communication personally. "Rannoch is, um, this system, right?" Tali just nodded, the knowledge enough to prove the whole future-experience-thing to her.

"To the geth Consensus. This is Commander Shepard. I oppose Nazara. I oppose the Old Machines. I would like to negotiate peaceful relationships with the geth. Please begin preparations of a unique platform for interfacing with organic beings, capable of hosting one thousand one hundred eighty three programs. The heretic geth have infiltrated your Consensus on the orders of Nazara. I will broadcast again with a time and place to begin peaceful negotiations." She turned off the omni-tool.

"Why that number?" Tali asked, obviously curious.

Sighing, Shepard leaned back and closed her eyes. "I encountered a platform designed with those specifications. After I defeated Nazara, the Consensus sent it out to find me – then to find my body." She cracked open an eye and shrugged. "Long story. I named it Legion. And before Legion died, 'it' became 'him.' He sacrificed himself to make all geth as individually unique as organic sapients are."

Levering herself to her feet, she held out a hand to Tali again. "C'mon, I'll show you the engine room before we get there. Adams better hide the toolboxes for now, though, or you'll be too busy tinkering with the drive core while everyone else is looking at a mostly dead Reaper." Together, they strode from the room, into what would hopefully be a brighter future.


	2. Chapter 2

Two hours after arriving, the Normandy broke free of Mnemosyne's atmosphere for the second time. "Scans completed," one of the CIC crew called out, and Shepard nodded from her post behind Anderson at the galaxy map. Currently, it was displaying a hologram of the damaged Reaper, the massive hole just above the legs extending clear through the body of the ship.

"Was that enough?" Anderson asked her quietly. Shepard sighed, trying to scour her memory of the very brief time she spent on board the thing, following the paths the Cerberus scientists had already laid out. One of the salarian vessels was doing its best to hover above the hole, launching several probes into the damaged area.

"I hope so," she replied sotto voce. "I really hope to never come back here again, unless it's to finish blowing this thing to smithereens."

Pressley interrupted them, looking up from his own console. "Commander, the Council would like to speak with you. I've patched them through, whenever you're ready." Nodding, she strode back to the briefing room, Anderson falling in behind her. Udina, naturally, hadn't moved from the room, though everyone else had found windows somewhere to see the Reaper.

"Councilors, what can I do for you?" Shepard asked the moment the holograms formed.

They all hesitated for a moment before Valern took the lead. "Spectre, you obviously knew this was here. While we're normally willing to let our agents operate without micromanagement," he hesitated, and she smiled.

"You want to know what else I know about the Reapers. I can tell you quite a bit – the Prothean beacon gave me somewhat more information," she lied glibly. No way she was telling this trio of idiots, and their future grand poombah of idiocy Udina, that she'd come back from the future. "Almost all of them are in some kind of stasis mode outside the edge of our galaxy. Up until the Prothean cycle, they came in by activating the Citadel – it's an enormous mass relay and their primary connection."

"So why haven't they shown up?" Sparatus asked anxiously. "The damage taken to not even fully incapacitate this one is enormous. If I piled every single turian dreadnought against it, I'm not sure I'd win."

She nodded gravely. "Mostly, we can thank the Protheans for that. They built a facility on Ilos, and put all of their best scientists into stasis for somewhere around a thousand years. Once those scientists awoke, they tried sending out a message across their beacon network." The other two councilors sent still annoyed looks at Telos. "When absolutely nobody responded, and they realized there weren't enough of them to rebuild their species, they moved on to plan B.

"They had managed to build a fully functional miniature mass relay. You've seen the arrival end of it on the Presidium." This bombshell went off with disappointingly less shock than Shepard was hoping for. "It only worked one way, from Ilos to the Citadel. Once there, they reprogrammed the Keepers, removing the ability to activate the relay from dark space."

"So, now what? Surely this Nazara has managed to notify its brethren that they need to awaken and act?" Valern spoke rapidly as usual, one hand typing notes into his omni-tool simultaneously.

"Not quite." She eyed them, feeling Udina's skeptical eyes boring into her back. "If Sovereign can use his geth flunkies to take control of the Citadel, he can still activate the relay and bring the other million or so Reapers through."

"There can't be a million of those things, Shepard," Udina complained smarmily from behind her. "You're exaggerating!"

She turned just enough to address him without turning her back on the Council. "I assure you, I am not, ambassador. When the Reapers arrived, they took the Citadel by surprise. They then proceeded to hit _every_ Prothean world with a population greater than ten million _simultaneously_. I'm not sure on the exact number, but it was somewhere around a thousand systems. On top of that, they moved in on tactical targets like Helium-3 plants and major asteroid mining operations." She shrugged. "That's what I got from the beacon, anyway."

Sparatus' mandibles closed in on his face, an expression Shepard recognized as intense worry. "As much as it pains me to say it, I'm wishing the Hierarchy hadn't turned away the quarians when the geth first rebelled. If we'd acted then, at least Nazara wouldn't have those shock troops."

"We must remove that relay from the Citadel," Valern interjected. "I have already sent orders to C-Sec. We won't destroy it, but Saren can't use it to sneak on board, either."

"Councilors, I need to return briefly to Alliance space, and then I'll be on my way to begin thwarting Saren's plans. At some point," she paused briefly for effect, "Nazara _will_ show up at the Citadel. We can defeat him – the damage done to this one looks substantial because they wanted to take it out in a single blow. But it will result in casualties. I can't speak for the Alliance military, but I am certain that Admiral Hackett will be glad to station a carrier battlegroup near the Citadel."

"We'll take it under consideration," Telos said. "Goddess be with you. Keep us updated of Saren's plans."

The communications shut off and, predictably, Udina was on his feet to jab a finger in her face. "What kind of recklessness is this, Shepard? I didn't go to all this effort to get you into the Spectres to threaten and browbeat the Council with imaginary synthetic bogeymen!"

She stared at him levelly for a moment, then quite calmly hit him with a Stasis. "He's not going to like that," Anderson commented.

"Tough," she growled. "The Reapers damn sure aren't imaginary. I personally lived through their landing and takeover of Vancouver. I fought my way through the streets of London, right beside you." She closed her eyes, the smell of ashes and rotting meat instantly coming to mind from the memory of the street, desperately shooting banshees and brutes while EDI worked to target the Reaper blocking their path. "Besides, I'm a Spectre. I'm sure I could find some evidence he's involved with Cerberus, or batarian pirates, or something."

"Find, or 'find'?" Anderson asked, making the finger quotes. She chuckled. "Doesn't matter, I suppose. Where to next?"

"You did get Conrad recruited, right?" He nodded, still puzzled at the request, and Shepard breathed an internal sigh of relief. She'd never have to sign an autograph, or save him from a pissed off barkeeper, or fix his stupid sabotage. "Then we go to Mars. Can I borrow your cabin to record the messages I need to send Admiral Hackett?"

"Go right ahead." She nodded respectfully, and turned towards the door. Right as it opened, his voice stopped her in the doorway. "Sensitive spots, huh?" There was nothing she could do to stop the blush from rising in her cheeks, though at least no one in the CIC knew why it was there.

Three hours later, they had moved into orbit around Mars. Sure enough, barely ten minutes after sending the information to Hackett about the crucible, the new official orders had come in – Anderson was leaving the Normandy to take charge of it. It was a desk job, which she agreed with him felt like a step down from being CO of an experimental ship, but at the same time, he'd be overseeing as many personnel as a dreadnought or carrier, which would help his chances of putting stars on his shoulders.

The information about Feros, Zhu's Hope and the Thorian, Exogeni and the geth, had barely crossed Hackett's computer before being sent straight to some Alliance Marine Colonel, which also raised her hopes. She'd had a hell of a time dealing with the geth _and_ the Thorian-controlled locals, but a hundred marines would be able to hold both forces off, destroy the Thorian, and rescue the colonists and Saren's sacrificial asari. It bugged her for a moment, that she couldn't remember the asari's _name_, only that she would eventually turn green. "It's not easy, being green," she hummed to herself, looking in the mirror and stifling the urge to fiddle with the medals on her dress uniform.

The change of command ceremony was done with close to indecent haste, the entire crew (small as it was) formed into ranks around the main hologram in the CIC facing the rear of the ship. Hackett didn't show up himself, but the local commander from the archives detachment took a shuttle up. They read the orders quickly, clearly, and Shepard and Anderson shook hands professionally. "Keep in touch, Commander," he told her. "I may have only gotten to work with you for a few months, but I can tell you're good people."

"Likewise, sir," she said, feeling a lump in her throat. Dropping her voice, she leaned closer. "Last time, I was too pissed at Udina to miss you. Good luck with this project, sir."

"Same to you, Shepard. Shall we go, Commander?" he said, turning to the local. They departed for the cargo deck and his shuttle.

"Alright, Joker, we're making a brief pit stop at Luna, then headed for the Artemis Tau cluster." She walked up onto the galaxy map podium, still in her dress uniform, as the crew quickly broke up to return to their stations. "Garrus, prep the Mako for launch."

"Roger that, Shepard. Who's going along?" His voice sounded faintly tinny through the speaker, making her frown. The subharmonics of his voice just didn't come through as well.

"You and Tali with me. We need to disable some VI hardware, then go collect a Prothean archeologist."

"Understood. Mako will be waiting." She grinned, pointing to Pressley, then motioning at her uniform. He nodded, sketched a salute, and stepped up to take her place as she went down the steps two at a time.

They spent barely half an hour on Luna, splitting up to handle the VI cores quickly and departing. Shepard was almost tempted to leave a note on one of the now-disabled servers saying, "Deliver to the Illusive Man," but decided not to antagonize either TIM or Hackett.

Pulling into orbit around Therum, she gathered her squaddies in the briefing room. "Here's what we're going to find below. Joker's going to drop the Mako in a safe zone a few klicks away from the archeology site. Nazara's geth followers have set up some blockades along the way, but it's nothing the Mako can't handle. Once we're inside, we have to disable some Prothean force shields, rescue Liara T'Soni, and get out before the geth decide to bring the whole thing down on our heads."

Kaidan glanced around the room before raising an eyebrow. "Commander, the Mako fits three people – barely."

She nodded. "I know. Once we've reached the facility, Ashley and Tali will go inside with me. Wrex, Garrus, and Kaidan, be ready for a fast drop-off from the cargo bay; I'll leave you at the entrance so they can't follow us inside." She turned to the krogan. "Just as a heads up, Saren's got several krogan mercenaries on his side."

Wrex shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. If they're dumb enough to work for him, I'll do the krogan race a favor and take them out of the gene pool."

"What happens when that's done?" Ashley asked. "Rescue the asari, send her off to Mars to work on that project with Anderson?"

"No, she'll stay with us." Shepard brought up a miniature map of the galaxy, highlighting a section. "We're heading to Noveria next. That asari on the geth recording is Liara's mother … and she's got the location of the mass relay that leads to Ilos." She glanced around the room, but specifically at Wrex. "I'm not going to force her to kill her mother, but we are going to need her when we get to Ilos. _That_ planet is nothing but barely standing Prothean ruins."

"What happens if Saren learns the other side of that mini relay is moved off the Citadel?" Garrus asked. "I mean, that's his meal ticket in."

"Doesn't matter," she replied. "We need to get to Ilos to try and salvage another functional Prothean VI." She turned to look at Tali. "You need to work with Adams and Liara, once she's on board, and figure out how the hell we can power the thing. Under absolutely no circumstance can we allow it to go dark." The quarian nodded nervously.

"Alright. Ash, Tali, armor up and meet me in the Mako." Shepard rose to her feet, heading towards the door. "Garrus, Wrex, Kaidan – work out your choice of tactics."

The Mako crashed down to the surface with the familiar bouncing feeling as the mass effect fields tried to neutralize all of the armor of the vehicle. They drove out, Shepard behind the wheel, frequently ramming the smaller geth while Ash blew apart the larger ones with cannon and machine gun. They reached the dig site in near record time, the cargo compartment already packed full of weapons, modifications, and random non-blown-up geth machinery.

Down below in the dig site, Shepard realized something. When she had pulled Javik out of that stasis pod, he had exchanged even more Prothean knowledge with her. While Liara was frantically begging them to activate the mining laser and blow out the shield, she simply moved to one side, fiddled with a piece of the wall for a moment, then biotically pulled on a component. To her partial surprise, the shield winked out, and they all hurried inside, letting her activate it again. "Liara, I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here for you specifically. So are the geth."

"What is going on? Why are geth here?" She was near panic, and it was a sharp contrast from the confident Shadow Broker that Shepard had left behind.

"It's a long story, and I'd like to get out of here before my men upstairs get overwhelmed," she said. "Come aboard the Normandy, I'll fill you in as much as I can."

"Of course," Liara said, falling in behind them as the elevator rose back up. Shepard did the same thing to disable the shields, while Liara practically glued her eyes to the entire procedure. "How did you know to do that?"

As they hurried up the ramp towards the elevator, and the faint but definite sound of gunfire up above them, Shepard considered how much information to give her. "I found an intact beacon. It gave me quite a bit of information about the Protheans and the Reapers." She glanced aside at the naïve blue face jogging beside her. "You've seen the evidence of galactic extinction, every fifty thousand years."

They reached the elevator, still empty of geth or krogans, and piled inside. "Yes, but you've seen Prothean evidence about them?"

Tali chuckled. "More than that, she showed the whole Council an _actual Reaper_," she said excitedly. "It was amazing and scary at the same time."

They all stayed quiet the rest of the way up, readying their weapons and biotics as they reached the top. Wrex was surrounded by geth, throwing them around with biotic enhancement while Garrus sniped and Kaidan tried to keep the krogan from being flanked. The addition of the four women turned the tide, and Saren's troops died where they stood.

In moments, the Normandy swooped down from orbit, settling near the dig site. Ashley ran over to start up the Mako, while everyone else leaped into the lowered cargo door. Once everyone was safely on board, the vehicle and weapons stowed, and Liara ensconced in the doctor's protective care, Shepard returned to her cabin. It felt oddly bare, now, somehow still retaining elements of Anderson's personality.

She sagged into a chair. It had been a long, long day, what with dealing with the Council, showing off a Reaper, then detouring to Mars and out to Therum. She frowned, remembering all the little side trips she had made for Hackett, taking out pirates, slavers, and Cerberus cells. Part of her wanted to simply say, "To hell with these distractions!" and run straight to Noveria and Ilos. Another part of her remembered all of the people she saved by doing so. And a tiny greedy part of her remembered the several million credits she had accumulated by doing so, and without the seemingly bottomless funds TIM had been willing to shuffle into her pockets, she was going to need every one.

The door chimed, and she looked up in surprise, cueing her omni-tool to open it. "Garrus," she murmured, letting her relief at seeing him fill her voice and expression. Almost instantly, she saw the nervousness and insecurity fill him, once again berating herself for forgetting he didn't have four years of experience. "Did you want to come in?"

He hesitated for a moment in the doorway before stepping inside. "Ah, Commander, I was wondering all day about what you said in the airlock when we were leaving the Citadel." He hesitated for a moment, his mandibles fluttering in embarrassment. "I wasn't actually sure until just now whether you were serious."

She gestured to the other seat, leaning back and folding her hands in her lap. "How much do you want to know?" she asked quietly.

They sat and stared at each other for a few seconds before he spoke again. "How long?" was his first question.

She smiled, the secret, satisfied smile she'd saved for him ever since that first night. "From my perspective, almost two years. We spent our first night together just before we went through the Omega 4 relay." She opened her eyes, looking at this younger, more innocent Garrus. "We didn't have as many nights together as I would have liked, what with a failed infiltration mission after that which led to my spending several months in the brig. Then, of course, the Reapers showed up in force."

He nodded, then continued to just sit and stare at her, long enough to raise a blush on her cheeks and drive her mad with anticipation. Finally, she had to break the silence. "Did you have another question?" she asked, hearing the lust in her voice.

He practically twitched out of the chair, and had he been human and able to blush she could have held up a red crayon to compare skin tone. "Ah, I, uh, I," he paused to clear his throat and try to gain control of his subharmonics. "Why me?" he finally asked, though she was fairly sure that wasn't what he meant to ask.

She rose from her chair, stepping over in front of him, and drawing him to his feet, though she didn't let go of his hands when he automatically tried to pull away. "Because, Garrus, I knew you for four years. You're smart, capable, loyal, and you always had my back." She leaned in a little closer, nearly into a turian kiss. "And occasionally my front." She inhaled deeply, loving the sharp tang that tickled her nose, then very reluctantly stepped backwards. "I know you're not the same Garrus I knew, and loved. But … part of me hopes you could be."

She turned away, leaning against the doorway that separated her tiny bedroom from the even tinier office. Damnit she missed the SR-2! "And now, unless you're really prepared to strip down and join me in bed, you'd better leave." It took several seconds before his footsteps went to the door, opened it, and left, a tiny part of her heart rebelling as he did, wanting to chase after him, tackle him to the floor, and never let him go.

The same part that had watched Harbinger's beam nearly disintegrate Garrus, nearly killing him in the process.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: I wasn't planning to update this so quickly, but Hackett insisted he get some on-screen time._

* * *

Joker's voice jolted her out of sleep. "Commander, we've arrived at Noveria." She glanced blearily at the clock next to her bed, a nice, solid piece of Terran engineering. No holograms for her. "They're demanding to know why a Spectre is here." _5 am?_

"Joker, did you even sleep?" she asked, knowing she sounded like she just woke up.

"Of course I did, Commander."

"I meant in your sleeping pod, not in the pilot's chair," she said, rubbing a hand over her face.

He didn't respond, which was probably just as well. She washed her face off quickly, putting on a new uniform and stepping out of her office to find Kaidan sitting at the mess table. "Alenko? What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Migraine," he said simply and quietly. "Something up, ma'am?"

"Noverian authorities being major pains in my ass, that's all. You up to accompanying me?"

He considered it for a moment, before nodding and rising to follow her up to the CIC. She detoured just a little, up to Joker's chair, and put a hand gently on his shoulder. "Keep my ship in one piece, Moreau," she said, "I'll be back after I kick some arrogant bureaucrat's ass."

"Understood, Commander." She was surprised for a moment that he didn't say more, but then again, it took Joker leaving for Cerberus before he was really willing to open up to her before.

Stepping outside, she literally winced at the cold air. It was still inside the hangar bay, no powerful gusts like outside, but it was still cold enough she swore it was freezing her breath before it got out of her mouth. She knew she should have stopped to get her armor on. "We're handling this quickly, then I'm getting the rest of my sleep," she told Kaidan as they approached the security officers.

The challenge went pretty much as it had before, with Parasini stopping the blond with the bloodlust from starting something, and she gratefully stepped inside into the still cold but vastly warmer building. Parasini was helpful, Anoleis was still the worst stereotype of a salarian, and she restrained her desire to fling him into the ceiling with a singularity.

Four hours later, feeling somewhat more rested, and took the entire squad with her. Getting the evidence didn't even require going into Lorik's office; all she did was snitch out the blond (whose name she _still_ couldn't remember, not that it mattered), convince Lorik not to piss off a Spectre, and because she had skipped all the side missions, the storm hadn't started up.

In fact, Benezia had only arrived the day before, rather than a full week before. "Liara, I know this is going to be difficult for you," she said as they rode in a larger, treaded vehicle. She'd decided to be nice and let Wrex drive it. "You heard everything I said about the reapers?"

"I listened to it this morning," the asari responded. She looked so small and frail, so unlike her Shadow Broker self, it made Shepard want to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. "I can't see any reason for my mother to help Saren or the Reapers without being indoctrinated." Her eyes met Shepard's, full of fear and sorrow. "Are you sure there's no cure for indoctrination?"

She sighed, closing her eyes. "The Protheans didn't have one," knowing the reference to the ancient race would do a better job of convincing the archaeologist than anything she could come up with herself. "If there is a way, I don't know what it is." She opened her eyes and looked forward, past Wrex at the sharp outlines of the facility as they approached it. "I want to take her alive, so that _if_ there's a cure, we can help her. But I can't make any promises either way."

"What about the geth serving Nazara?" Tali asked suddenly. "Are they vulnerable to indoctrination as well?"

Shepard was surprised at this, enough to actually stop and think about it. "I don't know. I think they're volunteers. I mean, Saren seems to be purporting himself as some kind of Reaper messiah, so it's possible that some of the geth took that as seriously as some humans take Christianity or Islam, or asari take Athame." She shrugged. "I know that geth can be hacked by Reapers far better than they can be hacked by us, but that only makes sense."

Wrex slammed on the brakes, bringing their transport to a halt. "We're here," he pointed out. "So now what happens?"

"You ever fight a rachni?" Shepard asked, pulling out her pistol and flexing her fingers to ready her biotics.

"Wait a minute," Garrus blurted out. "There's _rachni_ here? They're supposed to be _extinct_!"

Ashley shook her head, prepping her assault rifle. "Gee, the crazy turian used the billion-year-old machine to help him bring back an exterminated race. What a shocker."

Wrex was overjoyed. "Hah! I got so sick of my clan talking about the rachni wars when I was young. Now I get to make some tales of my own!" Readying his shotgun, he smacked the door into the facility, nearly getting blown in half by the trio of geth waiting for them in the next room.

It didn't take them too long to clear through the facility, restarting the VI and the fusion plants. The survivors were all present and accounted for, though this time, Shepard smacked the asari traitor with a singularity and had Wrex and Kaidan slap her in restraints as soon as it wore off before making up the cure for the scientists.

Blowing their way through the maddened rachni and geth was fairly easy, and by the time they reached Benezia the whole squad was loaded down with loot. _The quartermaster is going to loathe me_ Shepard thought as they paused before the last door. "She's in there," she said simply. "She's got two squads of asari commandos, too, though their indoctrination was heavy-handed enough we don't need to worry about their normally superior tactics."

Everyone but Wrex still looked slightly worried at this. "What … what is our plan?" Liara asked, nervously wringing her own hand on her pistol.

Shepard hefted a grenade, and the asari blanched. "Relax, these aren't explosive. I had Doctor Chakwas whip up some nice, aerosolized asari-specific sedative. I chuck a couple of these around your mom, she takes a nap, and we deal with the commandos and geth with extreme prejudice."

"Then we smash the rachni queen!" Wrex said excitedly.

"_No._" Everyone stared at her in shock, mixed with a little anger from the krogan. "I am _not_ helping the Council commit xenocide _again_."

Garrus blinked, thought about the airlock comment, and suddenly laughed. "You've got another ace in the hole," he said.

"Something like that," she agreed. "Everyone ready?"

They opened the door, the grenades in the air almost before Benezia could even turn to look at them. The asari commandos came bursting in, met by gunfire and biotics, and their two waves were defeated with no more than minor injuries. Heading up the stairs to the platform, Liara swayed, and then also crumpled into sleep. "Damn, Chakwas doesn't mess around," Kaidan said.

"Nope. Garrus, you might want to stay back, or at least turn on suit filtration," Shepard said. "I don't know how this stuff interacts with dextro species." She walked calmly over to Benezia, ignoring the slight stink of rotten bananas that the sedative cloud smelled of, and slapped three sets of restraints on the matriarch. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the side of the cage holding the rachni queen.

Before, she'd never linked up with the queen, always talking to her through dead or almost dead puppets. This time, she put a hand on the glass, staring into the eyes of the queen, and felt the mental contact. It was strange, but at the same time, incredibly relaxing. The entire universe had sounds and colors she'd never experienced and would never be able to put into words. Closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to the glass, she brought up the images of the Reapers.

_Yes, I see them. My children here are lost to me. You did not take my life before, and I aided you against these metal monsters. Shall we do the same again?_ The voice of the queen was like listening to an entire choir of angels singing in her head, and she could vaguely make out Garrus and Ashley arguing in the background.

Her eyes cracked open just enough to find the release switch, unlocking the doors to the cage and allowing the queen her freedom. _You'll let me know how to contact you?_ Shepard asked as the queen moved to leave.

_Give me six months to build a hive, and everything I can produce will be at your disposal_, she answered, and the world returned to a normal that seemed very drab, quiet, and boring. Shepard moved to step away from the cage, only to stagger the first steps, regaining her balance just as Garrus and Kaidan reached her sides. "I'm okay, I'm okay," she protested. "I just didn't know … how overwhelming it is to _talk_ to them."

"You let them go?" Ashley was ash-faced in horror. "They nearly destroyed the galaxy before!"

Shepard nodded, putting a bit of steel in her voice. "They won't this time. This queen knows that if she screws up at all, what we'll do this time will be far worse than what the krogan did last time." As her two helpers let go of her arms, she gestured to Benezia. "The rachni in the facility are … damaged. Think of a child locked in a closet until they hit teenage years. We have to wipe _them_ out, but in the future, when we deal with the rachni, it'll be peaceful."

Wrex lumbered over to her, staring into her eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing, Shepard," he growled. "You're the craziest human, hell, the craziest _sapient_ I've met, and that's saying a lot. But this?" He gestured at the now-empty glass walled cage. "If this goes wrong, the Council might just decide the turians had the right idea with that little incident at Shanxi."

She nodded, and the krogan picked up the unconscious matriarch. "I'm well aware of that. I'm also quite sure they'll come to that conclusion when I unveil my master plan for the galaxy." Shrugging, she led the way out of the labs. "The Council already thinks I'm a little bit nuts. The Council can go fuck themselves."

"Now there's a sentiment we can all get behind," Tali chimed in. "How do we take out the rest of the rachni?"

"There's a neutron pulse built in to the facility. We activate it, run like hell, and take the train back to the main station." Shepard glanced over her shoulder as she tapped the button for yet another goddamn elevator. _Heh, "goddamn" elevator. I should look up Zaeed's prices._

That task didn't take long, and six hours after they left the Normandy they were back aboard. Benezia had awoken strapped to a bed in the medical bay. "I know what you've said, Commander," Chakwas said crossly, "but none of my scans have showed up _anything_ physiological that would influence her behavior."

Shepard sighed, and Liara looked, well, not ashen, but a much paler shade of blue than normal. "I wasn't sure there would be, doctor. I don't know if we just don't know what to look for, or if it's subtle enough to avoid our scans." She gestured to Tali, and an impromptu energy field sprang up around Benezia. "I know that will at least stop the Reaper from reaching out to her further. In the meantime, she was able to fight it enough to record the location of Ilos," she held up the tiny data module with said info, "so we have a destination."

She turned to leave the med bay, only to be interrupted by Pressley. "Commander, Admiral Hackett is here aboard the Kilimanjaro," her XO said over the comm. "He's requesting permission to come aboard."

Shepard blinked. She couldn't remember meeting Hackett in person until after the whole Alpha Relay thing, while she was recovering. "Understood. Bring him aboard, I'll be up to the CIC momentarily." Turning back to Liara and Chakwas, she said simply, "Good luck."

She bounded up the stairs two at a time, arriving in the CIC just in time to hear Hackett piped aboard. Trying vainly to straighten out the creases her armor had put in her jumpsuit, she snapped to attention with everyone else when Pressley called, "Admiral on deck!"

Hackett walked the length of the ship quickly without making it look rushed. As he came to a halt in front of Shepard, she saluted, and he returned it, finally saying, "As you were." The crew quickly moved back to their stations, and Hackett gestured her towards the briefing room. "Shepard, I'm impressed with the information you've already forwarded to me, and just as you said, the Crucible plans were found in the archives." The door swished closed behind them, and he pulled out a small jamming device.

She raised an eyebrow. "Feeling paranoid, admiral?" He just smirked, activating it, and a buzz of white noise filled the background. She waited for him to take a seat first before sitting down across from him. "What do you need, sir?"

"Anderson and I go way back. He was my navigator when I was just a captain. He ever tell you that?" Shepard nodded slowly, trying to see where this was going. "He doesn't keep secrets from me. So he passed along your message that you somehow sent yourself backwards from the future." He glanced closely at her face. "I know you've got gene mods, like half the Alliance military, but you still don't look like you went through a war with the Reapers."

She swallowed, a little nervously. Hackett had been a very friendly, approachable superior during the Reaper war, but he was still one of humanity's best decorated officers. "I'm not sure of the mechanics of it all, sir, but as far as I can tell, the only thing sent back was my … consciousness, for lack of a better word."

Hackett nodded. "I already asked Doctor Chakwas to do a surreptitious scan of you, on the pretext of making sure there weren't any lingering problems from the Prothean beacon." He held up a hand to forestall a probably unwise angry outburst. "You're perfectly normal and healthy. Anderson also told me you dropped your bombshell in front of two aliens, while concealing it from the ambassador and Alliance personnel. I understand wanting to keep Udina in the dark. But why not tell your fellow Alliance?"

_So this is it_, she thought. _Still, Hackett was willing to work with aliens before, he's no bigot._ "Sir, both Garrus and Tali worked and fought beside me for four years. Aside from Joker and Chakwas, _nobody_ else has done the same. I know who they are and what they're capable of, and both of them understand the seriousness of the situation. We _have_ to work with the other species of the galaxy on this. Any race that fights alone will die. I saw it happen to the batarians, I nearly saw it happen to us and the turians."

He watched her face, expression a perfect poker blank. "I'm willing to believe you, Commander, but I want to know everything."

A bit nervously, she chuckled. "Covering four years is going to take a while, Admiral."

"I'll make the time." He leaned back in his chair, his own anti-spy device preventing him from making any notes beyond the mental, so she started explaining. Saren's attack on the Citadel, the Council's refusal to listen, her own death and resurrection in a Cerberus lab, the Collectors and the proto-Reaper, the Alpha Relay, and at last the day she had tried so hard to prevent. "This is all quite a story," he finally said when she finished with her tale of the Catalyst. "So what's your plan?"

"You really believe me, sir?" she rasped, throat sore from talking for nearly three non-stop hours.

"You've pulled out enough evidence to give you the benefit of the doubt," Hackett said. "I believe the Reapers exist, I believe this Crucible must do _something_ big if the Protheans made sure to put a copy of it in every data base we've found. The asari pulled out their own copy of the blueprints as well."

She nodded silently. "I need to stop Sovereign first. He could still bring them through the Citadel if I don't. After that, negotiate peace between the geth and the quarians, hopefully between the geth and the Alliance, too. Get the IFF off that crippled Reaper and blow up the Collector base before they can start harvesting humanity. Blow up the Alpha Relay. Then dock the Crucible and see if we can't reprogram the Catalyst to just turn the fucking Reapers off."

"Isn't that all a little much for you to do yourself? Even with a squad you're already trying to grow," Hackett pointed out. "Let me worry about the Alpha Relay. Now that we know how to stop Reaper artifacts from causing indoctrination, we can blow up the damn thing and the relay too." He rose to his feet. "I'd like to speak to a non-hostile geth, as well, but I'm willing to let you make the opening moves there. Most importantly, you know where Cerberus headquarters is?"

She rose with him. "Yes, sir, but I can't take out the Collectors, let alone anything else, without the SR-2. There's a few good people in Cerberus I want to get out, first. Once I've got them, I'm perfectly willing to let you turn the Illusive Man into cosmic space dust."

"What's your next immediate move? Ilos?" He had picked back up the jamming device.

"Yes sir. Preserve the VI, if possible steal the other end of the Conduit, and publicize the location of the planet so that more professional archaeologists can get in there and see what we can salvage from them."

Hackett nodded, turned towards the door, and paused before turning off the jamming device. "Did you notice how all these important things – Conduit, Crucible, Catalyst, Citadel – they all start with the letter 'C'? I feel like a guest on Sesame Street." Without waiting for an answer, he strode out, waving down Pressly before the XO could call the crew to attention again. "Keep me informed, Commander," he called over his shoulder, returning to the dreadnought they were docked with. "Hackett out," he said as he stepped through the airlock.

"I can't believe he even says that in person," Shepard murmured to herself, catching Pressly trying to strangle a chuckle as he overheard her. "Night shift has command, Pressly. Pass down to set course for these coordinates," she linked the Mu relay data to the map. "It'll be a couple of hours to get there from the nearest system."

"Understood, Commander," he said, and she waved a tired acknowledgement. Inside, she set her communications to 'Wake me and I kill you' and dropped onto her bed and into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: While trying to look up the navigator's first name, I realized I had been spelling it wrong. Don't I feel dumb now. Also, check out my new fic, __Garrus versus Garrus__, pitting our favorite vigilante against a master thief._

* * *

Shepard stepped into the CIC, nodding respectfully to Pressly. She'd passed the night shift watches on the stairs, and her XO's steaming coffee told her how long he'd been on the bridge. "How are we?"

"We're about half a light year from the relay, Commander," he said, switching the holo display left-handed while he sipped gingerly at his drink. "Should arrive in the next thirty minutes or so."

She nodded, taking in the local landscape, or more like the lack thereof. The relay itself was still cruising along at around 0.1% of lightspeed, courtesy of a nova several centuries back, so matching velocity with it just long enough to jump would be tricky. Then again, that's why she had the best pilot in the fleet. "Thanks, Pressly. I'm going down to the cargo bay to check on Tali and Liara." He nodded, already pulling up the morning ship reports, and she headed back down the stairs and the elevator.

Down below, she found what looked like someone had taken a geth orgy and then blown it up. Tali was standing in the tangle of wires, desperately trying to trace something out, while Liara and Garrus were arguing inside the Mako over how to make something fit properly. Wrex was watching everything with clear humor, and Ashley was desperately trying to ignore them while simultaneously keeping it all away from her weapons station. "What the hell?" Shepard asked loudly, disapproval clear in her voice.

Garrus pulled his head out of the Mako's door, followed quickly by Liara sticking hers out, flushing almost royal blue. Tali, already flustered, tried to turn around and only managed to succeed in sending herself crashing to the floor. "I know you guys need equipment to salvage the VI, but I didn't think you had to rewire the whole Mako to do so." She glanced around, arms crossed, and settled on Liara first. "Well?"

The archaeologist flushed deeper, started to stammer, and took hold of herself in a noticeable effort. "We have a back-up generator inside the Mako already. But we can't get it to fit right in the seats."

Next she turned to Garrus. "I was trying to help find alternate solutions, like strapping it to the outside, or removing some of the seats." The last made even Shepard wince, despite usually being the driver. "Some of us will have to stay behind to take this equipment down."

She nodded, and moved her gaze to Tali, who had at least untangled herself enough to stand up. "I'm trying to find the cables with the right connections. These things have been stored so tight for so long I can't separate them!" With this, she turned to look at the quartermaster's assistant, who started trembling.

"Find your boss, help Tali get the cables she needs onto the Mako, and then get the rest of this stowed. _Now._" The poor petty officer dashed into the elevator. "He's got five minutes!" She moved over to the cables. "Tell me what we need."

With the assistance of the quartermaster, arrived holding a piece of toast in his teeth, they quickly had the supplies loaded onto the Mako. Shepard slid inside herself just to judge the space, before climbing back out to face her squad. "Tali and Liara have to go, obviously. I've got room for two more, but no way are we fitting everyone in there."

"We can't all fit in there anyway," Wrex grumbled. "I'll stay behind."

Kaidan volunteered right away, and after a moment of staring at each other, Ash made a 'go ahead' gesture to Garrus. "Alright, everyone arm up and be ready to go in thirty. I'm going to check with Joker, then I'll be back down here." They all split up to grab their gear, and she went through the CIC up to the pilot chair. "Ready for this, Joker?"

"Sure, Commander. I mean, what pilot in the Alliance wouldn't want to jump through a missing rachni-controlled relay to a dead Prothean world where we may or may not end up attacked by the geth?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Uh, no offence, Ma'am."

She grinned, flicking his cap lightly. "None taken. Besides, I've got nothing to worry about, I've got the best pilot in the Alliance." She watched the mass relay swell through the window, and felt the tingle as it reached out to grab her ship and fling them hundreds of light years in an instant, arriving in a system that hadn't seen intelligent life in at least two thousand years. "Sensors, do we detect any geth in system?" she called down the neck of the ship.

It took several seconds before a negative reply came back, and she heard Pressly's footsteps come up behind her. "There's several good landing fields," he started, before she pulled up the coordinates of the door they'd entered through before. "Commander, there's no landing zones within a couple klicks of here," he protested.

"I know, we're going to land here," she highlighted the landing zone, barely larger than the Mako itself. "I've got the best pilot. He can do this."

Joker glanced at the data, and nodded grimly. "I can do that," he said. "You might want to go get ready, Commander. Leave the flyboy antics to me."

Fifteen minutes later, she was crowded in the Mako, more than usual. Garrus was pressed up against the back of her seat, Liara and Tali were somehow sharing the gunner's position in the turret, and Kaidan was sitting on top of the cables. True to form, Joker's delivery of the Mako was flawless, and far less bouncing than she remembered, probably because they weren't under fire from the geth this time.

"Pressly, do you read?" she sent over the radio as she started driving down the tunnel.

"Comms are good, Shepard," he said back. "Need something?"

"I want to know where the Council moved the other end of the Conduit, just in case. I don't want us to be stuck down here after we power up Vigil." The tunnel seemed disappointingly empty with no geth to stand in her way.

"I'll find out immediately. Pressly out," and the radio turned off. The rest of the drive was rather disappointing, reminding Shepard of a bad commute rather than a desperate fight for survival. _Huh, never thought I'd miss Saren_, she thought briefly.

They reached the long hallway where the energy field had sprung up to bar her passage, only this time nothing happened. She was _pretty_ sure the opening in the wall had been right about _there_. On a hunch, she activated the external speakers. "Vigil, Prothean VI, my name is Commander Shepard. I'm here to restore power for you." Kaidan glanced at her doubtfully, and she could tell Garrus was flexing his mandibles in the bad kind of nervousness. A moment later, a doorway opened in the wall. _I was only off by four meters_, she grumbled mentally. "Everybody out," she declared.

It took several minutes to get the cables and generator out of the Mako, though carrying them to the hidden elevator was fairly easy with three biotics. The elevator reminded her of the aggravatingly slow ones on the Citadel, and they stepped out onto the walkway facing the intact beacon and its VI. Vigil slowly coalesced in the air before it. "How did you know my identity and location?" it asked.

"I've encountered a beacon before," Shepard said. "We have a generator, cables, and we want to improve your power supply enough to move you to a secure location. Reaper-indoctrinated servants will come to this planet soon."

It considered this information, fuzzy parts of the damaged hologram spinning and sliding. "In that case, the Conduit must be deactivated. With it they can reach the Citadel."

"The other end has already been removed. They might go through, but they will not be arriving on the Citadel," she countered. "Where should we attach the power cables?"

It directed Tali and Liara where to hook up the power supply, and they started the generator running its quiet hum. As Liara started to question it about the Protheans, Shepard's omni-tool tried to push through a communication, broadcasting only garbled static. "That must be Pressly," Kaidan reasoned. "We should head back up, Commander."

She hesitated for only a moment, but called everyone to her side, jogging for the elevator. Liara was the last, obviously unwilling to abandon this trove of knowledge, sprinting to catch up. At the top, Shepard tried contacting the Normandy again as they piled into the Mako. "Shepard, geth have arrived in force! Nazara is with them!"

She gunned the motor, glancing aside to see the doorway had already vanished. _I hope Vigil can stay hidden, or it's screwed_. "Understood! Where is the other end of the Conduit?" The reply came back right as the Mako jounced heavily over one of the giant tree roots. "Anyone else catch that?"

"Sounded like he said Thessia," Garrus hazarded, clinging to the handholds in the gunner's station.

"Let's hope it's somewhere friendly. Just in case, helmets on for everyone!" She raced the Mako right off the cliff, splashing through the water and spraying a large wake behind them. "For all I know it's in orbit of Thessia." She slowed down at the top of the hill facing it, open to the sky, seeing Nazara swooping in above it. "Hang on and get ready for combat, everyone!"

They shot down the hill, the machine gun chattering away as Garrus took out one geth drop pod after another. Still far too many of them were reaching the ground, and she did _not_ like their chances. Two geth preparing rocket launchers were ground under the wheels, and she goosed the thrusters to pop over an energy blast from an armature. "Tali, do you think you can activate that thing with your omni-tool?"

"Probably," the quarian replied, already flicking the hologram with her wrist. "How much does the Mako mass?"

"Not the Mako, just us!" She had to stop talking for a moment as they reached the bottom, slewing around the armature for Garrus to blow the head apart with the cannon. "We stop right in front of us, set it to self-destruct, and zip out before the timer's up."

"I wish you'd communicated this plan earlier," Garrus complained, pausing to blow another armature to falling pieces before it could land. "I could have stocked up on explosives."

"Commander, are you sure about this plan?" Kaidan asked grimly.

She jinked the Mako in a tight curve right around the Conduit, trusting the geth would hold back any shots that might damage it. "Would you rather stay here?" she pointed out crossly. "Tali!"

"Give me fifteen seconds!" she cried, fingers twitching through commands madly.

"They just dropped a geth colossus! You've got five!"

"Done!" The massive geth platform was right next to the Conduit, so Shepard slid the vehicle around in a tight slide that left the alien relay perfectly between them. "Self destruct set for ten seconds. Abandon tank!"

They piled out, weapons and biotics firing rapidly to keep the smaller platforms off of them as the Mako's VI took over blasting drop pods out of the sky. "Here goes," Tali said uncertainly. "Keelah Se'lai," she muttered, activating it. What normally felt like a barely perceptible tingle from inside the Normandy turned into the jarring harsh pain normally experienced from sticking metal objects into power outlets, and they all vanished in a tiny beam of light. Three seconds later, the Alliance tank exploded, decimating the geth already on the surface. More importantly, it cracked the ring on the relay. The resulting explosion from that was focused, thanks to the bowl-shaped depression, exterminating all the landed geth, all the drop pods, and reaching high enough to lap at Nazara's shields.

They all came tumbling out in a harsh, industrial room of some kind. It took Shepard several seconds before she could get her head to stop spinning enough to even think about sitting up. Before she could actually do so, however, she found herself looking at the barrel of a pistol, held by someone familiar. "Mordin? That you?" she asked carefully around a bitten tongue.

"Have heard of me? Worrying. Identify yourself." He showed no sign of lowering the pistol, and she had a fleeting moment's pity for Maelon.

"Commander Shepard, Spectre." Keeping her hands away from her weapons, she slowly sat up and removed her helmet. "I'm guessing this isn't Thessia."

A small smile graced his face, though the pistol didn't waver a millimeter. "Correct. Orbital station above Sur'Kesh. Evidence suggests you found the Conduit."

"You could say that," Kaidan muttered from behind her.

"Doctor Solus, we probably all need medical care after that. Nazara and its pet geth were literally right behind us. I set my Mako to self-destruct, but unless that relay is more fragile than I thought, all I did was slow them down." She put a hand to her temple, still dizzy as well as feeling the throb of a headache coming on. "Please?"

He hesitated for a moment, then holstered his pistol, snapping out orders to the other STG personnel. They had escaped mostly unscathed – Tali had a broken wrist, but no suit punctures, but otherwise they were merely battered and bruised.

It took the better part of two hours before she was able to corner Mordin again, out of earshot of everyone. "Mordin, can we talk for a moment?" The salarian looked up from his omni-tool, nodding. "I would like you to join my team, come work with me."

"Against the Reapers. Have seen evidence, data scans. Already sent automatic VI probes to Reaper corpse." He smiled that same confident smile. "Not retired yet. Still work to do."

She nodded, remembering watching the Shroud building on Tuchanka, burning with him still inside it, fighting to give hope back to the krogan people. "I need you on my team."

Aggravatingly, he shook his head. "Not looking to be Spectre. Looking to retire. Somewhere quiet. Omega, maybe."

She tried pulling out another piece of knowledge of him. "It has to be you. Someone else might get it wrong." He stilled at the words for a moment, large eyes searching her features for clues. "I need you to reverse the genophage. Maelon can't do it without killing as many krogan as he saves."

He frowned, obviously upset at her knowledge. "Improved genophage right decision. New krogan rebellion, otherwise."

"What about the Reapers?" she asked. Again he stilled for a moment. "That's a variable you hadn't considered. Couldn't consider, really, since the only one who knew about it – Saren – purposefully hid it from the Council."

Reluctantly, he shook his head. "Changes nothing. Krogan society unchanged. Battle prowess useful, perhaps, but ultimately still destructive to galactic society."

"Are you willing to come aboard the Normandy long enough to give me a chance to change your mind?" She watched him think it over. "Don't bring any of your data if you don't trust me."

"_Want_ to trust you. Consequences too great to do so." He stared at her for a few more seconds, and slowly nodded. "Will travel with you for now. Make own evaluation." She tried not to break into a giant grin at that, and held out her hand, which he shook gravely. "No geth have arrived. Indicates destruction of other relay pair. Disappointing. Would have like to perform further study."

"Sorry, Mordin. I'll try not to destroy any more Prothean technology if I can avoid it." Rising to her feet from the clinic bed, she walked slowly out to rejoin the rest of her squad. Just because she could, as she walked out, she started humming a Gilbert and Sullivan song.

Behind her, it took several moments before Mordin started singing the same song under his breath. "Am the very model of … drat. Song stuck in head all day now."

Two hours after their surprise arrival in orbit above Sur'Kesh, the Normandy arrived. On board, she sat in the briefing room while Pressly showed her all the other sensor scans they had taken from Nazara as they fled, cloaked, back to the relay and out of the system. "Fortunately, you can get back from Ilos through the relay network without having to detour all the way out to Mu," he said. "I recognized a couple of the relay signatures."

"Good work, Pressly. Write up a commendation for yourself." She took another sip of lukewarm coffee. "Is Mordin settled in? Getting along alright with Chakwas?"

His lips thinned slightly in disapproval. "He's settled in. Liara's practically been chased out of the back room because of his experiment setups, though."

"He's good people, Charles," she admonished him. "They all are. Besides, you've seen these Reapers up close three times now. You _really_ want humanity squaring off against them alone?"

He shuddered at that thought. "No way, ma'am. I wouldn't even wish that on the batarians." He fell silent for a moment. "Well, _maybe_ the batarians." She chuckled lightly. "It just, it feels _odd_, walking around a human ship and bumping into aliens all the time."

"I recall my military history course at Arcturus Academy had similar quotes every time some minority group was integrated – biotics, gays, blacks, women – and yet, for all of it, we're stronger than ever." She grinned as he reluctantly nodded. "The more friends we can make among other races, the better we look, and the easier our job gets from having fewer enemies to look after."

"I suppose you're right, Shepard," he conceded. "Night shift already took over, so I'm going to get some shut-eye." Picking up his notepad, he left the room a few steps in front of her.

She went down the stairs slightly more leisurely than he, glancing in the windows of the med bay. Chakwas and Mordin were in the middle of a lively looking discussion, with many wild gestures and posturing that spoke of a friendly debate rather than an argument. Liara sat to one side, almost as though refereeing the verbal combat. She waved, and Shepard waved back, moving to her cabin.

She had almost made it when Mordin came out of the med bay. "Shepard! Would appreciate opportunity to talk. About subject raised on station." She paused briefly to glance at the time display on her omni-tool. _2137? I thought it was later than that._

"Sure, Mordin, as long as it's brief. We flabby humans need more sleep than you." She led the way, dropping into one of the chairs, the salarian swiftly sitting across from her. "The genophage that you did, adjusting for the slowly increasing rate of surviving children among the krogan. You want to know how I know about it."

"Yes." She waited a moment for more, quickly realizing he was being even more stingy with vocalization than she remembered.

"You're going to say it's impossible," she warned him, but he simply raised an eyebrow. "I watched you do it, running into the Shroud building on Tuchanka with a cure, started by Maelon but finished by you, deploying the cure even as the Reapers in orbit managed to blow up the operation room at the top with you inside."

He frowned. "Precognition widely disproven. Time travel impossible with known laws of physics. Alternate dimension possible, no evidence to support." He stared at her. "Which one?"

_Damn, that was fast_, she thought. "From my perspective, time travel. Four years into the past, only my consciousness and my memories."

He considered it for several minutes, occasionally mumbling to himself in salarian and looking up something on his omni-tool. "Still impossible," he finally declared. "Yet, actions recently indicate clear knowledge of future events. Knowledge of myself clear indication." He suddenly smiled that wide, happy grin. "Puzzling."

She nodded, stifling a yawn behind her hand. "There are two krogan that future-you believed capable of changing krogan culture enough to fit in with modern galactic society. One of them, Urdnot Wrex, is on board. I'd like you to talk with him tomorrow, and make up your own mind."

He nodded. "Of course. Still, genophage cure likely to cause significant upheaval in krogan society. Wrex on board, not placed for leadership."

"Before, you sent out an instant cure. But I've actually had a little time to think about it over the last few days." She pulled up the codex entry on krogans. "The problem with the genophage is that it leaves them with mounds of dead children and sterile adults. Is there a way to change it, to simply lower fertility without causing hundreds of stillborns or outright sterility?"

He tapped a finger on his chin, considering it. "Unless greater resources available, beyond my current abilities. But will consider, request input from friends in STG." His smile returned. "Ultimate challenge. My name in science history of Sur'Kesh. Also Tuchanka."

"Just think of all the little krogan children named after you," she dead-panned, enjoying the look of horror on his face at the thought. "See you tomorrow, Mordin, I need to sleep."

"Of course, Shepard. Will be in med bay if you need me." He strolled out, pausing in the doorway. "Additional piece of evidence: Gilbert and Sullivan."

She grinned, rising in a stretch. "I am the very model of a scientist salarian," she sang at him, and signaled the door closed.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: I would like to extend a big thank you to the three communities that have added my fics: "The Archive of Legends", "The queer, quirky, and outright weird", and "Wizards, Shinobi, and Assorted Awesomeness". I'm glad you're all enjoying my fic, and I hope you'll check out my other stories. In the meantime, here's the newest chapter of Reloaded. Like all other authors, I love reviews, and respond to most of them!_

* * *

Shepard blinked groggily as the comm paged her. "What is it? What time is it?"

"Chief Waaberi, ma'am, it's 0417." _At least she sounds unhappy to wake me_, Shepard thought grimly as she sat up. "The Council wants to speak to you immediately."

"I don't suppose they said why?" she added darkly as she struggled into a fresh jumpsuit.

"Other than it's about Nazara and the geth, no ma'am." Shepard strode to the door, then turned around and put on her favorite fluffy slippers – Statler and Waldorf. She walked calmly up to the CIC, gave the chief and LT from night shift a quiet thanks, and stifled a yawn as she walked into the message room.

The holograms were already waiting for her. Anderson's was smaller, shunted aside to a secondary projector, but she was relieved to see that he was at least there. "Councilors," she began respectfully.

"Sorry, Commander, but we're going to have to skip the niceties," Sparatus interrupted. "Nazara just attacked Dekunna with a full fleet of geth ships. The ground troops are holding their own, but that Reaper has taken out all ships in orbit and has commenced bombarding any concentrations of elcor troops."

"We need to know if there's any tactical information gained from the beacon our ships can put to use," Anderson added. "Hackett's already got Second Fleet on the move, they'll be in-system in an hour. The turians are right behind him."

She closed her eyes. Dekunna? Why the hell would Nazara go after the elcor? She'd expected a faster push from the Virmire labs, or instant Collector harvesting, not this. "The weakest part on their vessels is the beam projectors. They have powerful ECM, obviously, so the best tactic was using massed fighters to hit the Reapers right before they fired." She looked between the two men grimly. "It's high cost, though. They had something like a fifty percent casualty rate."

Everyone but Sparatus winced at that. "Understood, Commander. Thank you for the input."

"Do you want me to bring the Normandy to the fight?" _Now I _really_ wish I had the SR-2_, she thought.

"Negative, Commander. Return to Arcturus," Anderson ordered her. "Hackett's not going himself, he's been working on how to best take out that laboratory we talked about."

It galled her to even consider not being in the fight against Sovereign, but she reluctantly nodded. "Councilor, may I make another suggestion?" she asked the turian, who nodded slowly. "Put General Victus in charge. I know he's not … a 'proper turian' when it comes to strategy. But fighting the Reapers, I think unconventional is better."

"I'd like to take that suggestion, Commander, but the decision has already been made," he replied. "I will pass it along to the hierarchy, for what it's worth." The three of them disconnected, and Anderson's blinked to the central unit. "Something else, sir?"

"Be careful on Virmire," he said. "Sooner or later, the Council is going to ask pointed questions about how we took it out and rescued an STG they didn't even tell us about."

"We could always blame it on Cerberus," she suggested half seriously.

"Heh. Much as most of the admiralty would like that, I don't think it'd pass the smell test. Make sure you bring back my ship in one piece, Shepard." He gave a small, genuine smile. "I think I left some stuff in the captain's cabin."

"Absolutely, sir." He disconnected, and she shuffled back out through the CIC. Everyone had the self preservation not to comment on the definitely non-regulation slippers, until just outside of her cabin, where Garrus and Liara were sitting at a table eating their respective breakfasts.

"Aren't those, well, childish?" he asked, quite seriously from what she could tell, and she looked down at her feet.

"So I have small feet," she said grumpily. "Just because I find a couple of smart-ass puppets funny isn't childish."

"Those are puppets?" Liara said, clearly confused.

Shepard merely groaned, hitting the door to her cabin. "I'll explain later. In the meantime, we're going to Arcturus, then to Virmire. If Wrex and Mordin come in, let them know I need to talk to them, preferably together." As she disappeared, the turian and asari exchanged mutual looks of total incomprehension, and returned to eating.

Two hours later, after a much needed shower, breakfast, and a quick skim of the daily morning reports, she sat in the meeting room, Mordin and Wrex opposite her. They were acting fairly neutral towards each other, but at least there wasn't any open antagonism. "So," she started, "let's talk genophage. Have you two had a chance to talk?"

They glanced at each other. "You could say that," Wrex allowed. "We spent an hour yesterday, and breakfast this morning, discussing my people."

"Not sufficient time," Mordin said. "Initial results promising. Agree with your assessment. Have already sent data requests to STG, set up VI archive trawls."

"As much as I'd love to see the genophage reversed, or even lessened, I want to know why you're doing this, Shepard," Wrex growled. "Nobody does things out of the goodness of their heart. And before you ask, no, I don't trust you," he pointed a finger at her. "Hell, we've known each other less than a week, and you've already shown yourself to be more tenacious than a turian and more devious than a salarian."

"No offense taken," Mordin said.

"Too bad," Wrex retorted.

She looked back and forth between them for a moment. "You don't trust me, fine. Are you willing to work with me, to go along with my advice even when it seems utterly crazy?"

"Hah! The crazy stuff is probably the best stuff. So I'm asking again, _what do you get out of this?_" She wasn't as adept at reading krogan body language, but she was pretty sure that he was walking on emotional coals right now.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then activated the free-draw program on her omni-tool, sketching out the artwork from the temple of Kalros as best she could. "Krogan art," she said simply. "Inside the temple of Kalros." She opened her eyes to look at him. "Reapers aren't all the same size. The smaller ones, Kalros could rip apart, though a regular thresher maw would lose. I've seen the ruin that is Tuchanka. If _you_ can lead your people, it can change."

He snorted. "You've never set foot on my homeworld, Shepard. I've checked your history."

"I never set foot on Noveria, either. How did I know there was a rachni queen there?" Mordin jumped at this revelation, and she took a moment to mentally kick herself for forgetting to mention that part. "I've never even been to Virmire's system, but I can tell you exactly what we're going to find there."

Both of them stared at her for a moment before Wrex made a 'get on with it' motion. "We're going to find a massive lab complex, surrounded by high-density anti-air and orbital GARDIAN stations. Inside that lab, Saren's using brute-force cloning to breed an army, already indoctrinated by Reaper tech before they even reach maturity. Thousands of krogan, empty of personality and conditioned to slaughter every space-faring species in the galaxy." Mordin looked horrified, while the battlemaster just looked even more pissed than before. "And when they're done, Nazara and the Reapers will just leave them on whatever planets they landed on. They'll starve to death because they're literally too brainless to feed themselves without orders."

"STG sent to Virmire to investigate anomalous readings," Mordin interjected. "Cloning lab would explain it."

"So what, we go in and blow the place to smithereens?" Wrex asked angrily. "Ignore any benefit to my species because the Reapers had a hand in it?"

"Not if I can help it," she responded calmly. "If I'm right, Hackett will have some weaponry that can be added to the Normandy. We'll have to do a couple of orbital strikes, yes. But then, with the rest of Kirrahe's team and our own Marines backing us up, we clear the facility, download the data and _then_ blow the place to ashes." She gestured at Mordin. "Then, we go to Tuchanka, so you can meet your queen, empress, whatever."

His eyes narrowed. "And you just happen to know exactly who that should be?"

"I thought the crazy was the best part," she added dryly. "Are you willing to work with me?"

They stared at each other for a long, silent moment, until he finally huffed out a breath. "I don't think I have a choice," he said equally dryly. "Next thing I know you'll be nominating me for a seat on the Council if I don't."

"Krogan on Council. Would certainly promote action, swift resolution to issues. Asari merely _talk_," Mordin added, causing both of them to stare at him. "What? Merely thinking out loud," he sniffed in disdain.

As they stood up to leave, the comm chimed for her. "Commander, I'm getting an incoming transmission from you, but the VI says it has no sender." Pressly's voice sounded dubious at the message. "It was prefaced by a direct request to me to tell you."

She blinked, hoping it was a response from the geth. "Got it. Tali, please come up to the briefing room." She waited a minute or so for the quarian to arrive, and turned towards the hologram display. "Alright, Pressly, put it through."

Sure enough, it was a geth platform that matched Legion in all but one particular – obviously, it didn't have the N7 armor that had been shot off her when the Collectors ambushed her ship. "Shepard-Commander, the unique platform you requested has been completed. We are prepared to open communications with you." She glanced aside at Tali, who stood with incredible stillness, staring at the hologram. "We have monitored our consensus and deleted several heretic runtimes. Please tell us how you knew of their placement."

Standing just in front of Tali, she nodded. "I don't know how geth, whether heretic or not, think, but I have a pretty good idea of how the Reapers – the Old Machines – think. Once they have completed their mission to destroy all organic space-faring civilizations, they will turn on the geth, all geth, and destroy them as well." She glanced again at Tali. "It will be several days, at least, until I can meet up. I have been asked by Admiral Hackett of the Alliance to request another platform be constructed, to act as an ambassador to the Alliance if our meeting goes well."

Not-Legion considered this, the flaps and flashlight on its 'face' twitching in an eerily familiar fashion. "We find this acceptable. We will construct several additional platforms to these specifications. We will allow further communication to proceed at your initiation."

"Wait!" Tali shouted, and both of them turned to regard her, causing her to suddenly start wringing her hands in that nervous movement. "Can I … can I see an image of Rannoch?"

The geth regarded her, stonefaced as only a synthetic could manage, and finally gave a jerk of its head in what Shepard thought was a nod. "We consider this acceptable, Creator-Zorah," it said, and instantly vanished to be replaced with a hologram from somewhere on the surface, a view out across a mesa covered in green-brown scrub brush, several bird-like creatures visible and picking at the plants. She made sure to record the hologram in its entirety. Forget geth data, _this_ was a Pilgrimage gift no one in the Migrant Fleet would scoff at!

"Thank you," she said after a minute, when it was clear the quarian girl was currently beyond speech. "For future reference, I would like to address the first platform as 'Legion.' Humans have a tendency to name just about everything," she said dryly.

The hologram flicked back to the geth platform. "We find this address acceptable. We shall respond to 'Legion.' We await further communication when you are ready." It cut off, and Tali sagged into one of the chairs, still overwhelmed. "You ok, Tali?"

Still wordless, she simply nodded, and remained sitting in the chair. Silently, Shepard slipped out of the room, leaving Pressly orders to check on her in half an hour if she hadn't left. Thus prepared, she discovered that they had docked at Arcturus Station while she held her conversation. "Did Admiral Hackett, or any of the other brass, leave any orders for us?"

"Only to alert him when we docked, which I did," Pressly replied. "I imagine he'll be expecting you shortly. With luck, you'll get a first row seat to watching Second Fleet kick some Reaper butt."

"Yeah, kick them right in the daddy bags," she said, striding up the length of the ship. "You have the con, I'm reporting to Hackett." The station was, as usual, crowded with people, but fortunately the reporters hadn't gotten close enough to corner her, and she ducked and weaved through the crowd.

Twenty minutes later, she stopped in the doorway to Hackett's office. "Commander Shepard, reporting. Ah, sorry, sir, I didn't realize you had company," she added awkwardly as the man sitting across from Hackett turned to regard her.

"Come in, Commander. This is Senator Shastri, head of the Military Funding committee in Parliament." He rose, shaking Shepard's hand as she approached the desk. "We were discussing military needs against the Reapers."

"It's nice to meet you, Shepard, after seeing your face in the vids. I confess to a moment of disappointment when you just blew off Khalisah Al-Jilani instead of punching her lights out." He gave a charming smile that, disturbingly, reminded her of the bad side of Miranda. "Hackett was telling me about the magneto-hydronix cannon you said the Protheans used."

She glanced at her superior, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Yes, Senator. They reverse engineered it from destroyed Reapers. I'm hoping we can do the same once Nazara is destroyed. The beacon wasn't real big on technical specs, so all I have is the layman's explanation."

"We've already got some of the military contractors working on prototypes," Hackett interjected. "This time next year, if not sooner, we'll have working designs in production." His desk chimed, and his face turned deadly serious. "And now, Senator, I have a military engagement to oversee. I'm not going to micro-manage, but I want to observe this Reaper in combat first hand." Clearly dismissing the politician, he turned around, using his omni-tool to switch what Shepard thought was a painting to a VI-generated overview of the planet Dekunna.

Nazara, three geth dreadnoughts (not as big as the one over Rannoch, but still pretty darn big), and around two dozen cruiser-sized geth ships were in orbit over one of the two planetary capitols. From one side approached a turian fleet, fully the size of the geth forces, and at around a one-twenty came the human's Second Fleet, led by the SSVs Fuji and Einstein, both will full escorts of cruisers and frigates. Shastri, however, did not move, but watched the display with as much interest as Hackett.

The battle raged for nearly twenty minutes, a near eternity in a close-orbit battle. Every ship that flagged as damaged or destroyed ripped at Shepard's heart. She knew that the Normandy's stealth field would have been little use in such a battle, but she still hated missing out on the fight. Her fists clenched with every destroyed ship, human or turian, and when at last the bastion of Nazara lay in drifting shattered pieces, she tallied up the dead. "Four cruisers and seven frigates for us, six cruisers and eleven frigates for the turians, and who knows how many million dead elcor," she said grimly. "How are the ground forces, admiral?"

He had already been querying the ground forces, dispatched in high-g exoskeletons. "Word is that most of the ground forces have been successful." He played with his omni-tool for a moment, changing the view to a helmet-cam of someone listed as a Lieutenant Vega. "Lieutenant, Admiral Hackett here. General Zheng said your squad had video footage of Reaper ground forces. Let me see."

The Marine gave a quick response, falling back with his squad to what was obvious an enemy redoubt, filled with what Shepard recognized as husk spikes. Only these were built to hold elcor, and the fallen were a mixed bag of geth combat platforms and huskified elcor. "The Reapers did something similar to the Protheans, Admiral," she said through a dry mouth. "Can he pan left?"

Obviously hearing her through the open channel, he stepped around a dead body, centering the camera on a human husk, as well as a turian marauder. "Admiral, we broadcast these straight up the chain when we found them," Vega reported. "One of the other squads reported seeing them throwing live prisoners onto those spikes to make this happen." Both Hackett and Shastri looked at Shepard as she nodded slowly.

"Good job, Vega. You and your squad hold that position, keep those enemy resources secure until we can extract them for further study." He cut the comm and switched the display back to the orbital view. "Initial reports put the dead at just short of a quarter billion."

Shastri whistled through his teeth. "Thank you for letting me witness this, Hackett. Now, I think I need to go visit my compatriots in Parliament and introduce a bill extending emergency aid to the elcor. Try and beat the asari to the punch." He left quickly, giving one last nod to Shepard as he did.

"Shepard, by this point the weapon specialists I assigned should have the Normandy ready to go. It's an experimental system, which should be just right for an experimental ship." She nodded, and moved to rise. "I'm also detailing an extra dozen Marines to help you get the STG team out safely. Keep in mind, we don't know if Saren was on board Nazara, or even in Phontes system."

"I understand, Admiral." She saluted and strode out, back to the Normandy.

On board, she called all of her alien squadmates together with Ashley and Kaidan in the meeting room. "So, here's the plan. You've all seen the new weapons pod slung on the bottom of the ship?" Seeing assent, she nodded. "It's going to lower our stealth ability, but I trust Joker to get us there. We use it to take out the orbital platforms and AA guns. Mordin, I want you and Garrus working to decide which parts of the facility to hit with orbital strikes." The hologram pulled up an image of the facility. "We'll rendezvous with Kirrahe's group, and storm the facility. Tali, you'll be on board with the fusion bomb in the cargo hold. I want to be _certain_ the geth can't disarm it in the five minutes it'll take us to pick up everyone and get the hell out. Kaidan, you'll be the comms man for the STG. Everyone else will be with me. Any questions?"

"What about our guest Marines, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"They'll be our third front. Even after we hit them with a couple mass rounds from orbit, the cloning facility is well defended. The STG and the Marines put on a good show up front, while myself, Wrex, Garrus, Liara, and Ashley, sneak around the back. We take out all the other defenses we can, flash-copy the data drives of everything we come across, and once we've secured the blast site, Joker swoops in long enough to drop the bomb and pick us up. We grab the STG and the Marines on the way out, and hopefully we'll be out of atmo before the blast even goes off."

They spent another twenty minutes refining the plan, mostly due to inputs from Mordin and Wrex, but Shepard was satisfied that they'd be prepared when they emerged into the Hoc system.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Sorry for the long break between updates, I spent all weekend playing Assassin's Creed and then started off the work week with two all-day meetings that proved completely useless. To my anonymous reviewers *cough*__**DarkOne**__*cough* please log in! I like responding to most reviews, especially if you're asking me questions about the chapter!_

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Landing on Virmire was turning out to be far easier than she remembered. Part of it was the upgraded missile system now bolted to the underside of the Normandy, which she watched her weapons officer use to blow the orbital platforms away, then turn all the unused missiles into coordinated strikes on surface targets identified by Garrus and Mordin.

Landing near Kirrahe's encampment, she pulled him, Kaidan, and the Marine LT into a quick huddle, laying out the plan of attack for the facility and roughly what they should expect. Mordin took the next several minutes to give the STG some new experimental mods while Kirrahe gave his rousing speech. As they all prepared to leave, her five teammates looking in distaste at the Mako, she pulled the salarian aside. "When this is all over," she told him, "I want to hear about this Silent Step guy."

"Great Salarian hero in STG. All missions classified." He smirked at her. "Could tell you. Have to kill you afterwards." She laughed, giving him an affectionate smack on the arm, and climbed into the Mako.

The drive around to the back of the facility was uneventful, like last time, though the vehicle was more crowded and filled with more complaints. (From Ashley, after Liara fell over: "I've never had an asari lap dance before." Garrus replied: "Then send her my way, it's been far too long since my last one." Liara's protest: "I am _not_ that kind of asari.")

They stormed through the rear of the facility, destroying the communications hub and the refueling station, leaving the alarms off. The marines, all armed with rocket launchers or flamethrowers in addition to their assault rifles and shotguns, were spearheading the attack while the STG covered them, and doing quite well for themselves according to the audio reports.

Freeing a few of the captives who hadn't been quite so badly indoctrinated, they gave those salarians their spare pistols and directions to the rendezvous point. Before too long, they had reached the cloning lab, blowing away husks and indoctrinated scientists, when suddenly one of the walls broke open. Shepard froze momentarily at the sight of a brute.

Fortunately for her, Wrex was filled with nothing but anger at seeing what Nazara, through Saren, had done to the krogan. The two charged at each other, Wrex's shotgun blasting away twice before they crashed into each other in a thundering rumble. The shotgun boomed one more time, then the brute was picked up and thrown, smashing into another wall, where everyone else poured fire onto it, both Shepard and Liara hitting it with warping energy while Garrus and Ashley blasted their assault rifles to overheating.

Bullet holes leaking ash and radiation, the brute still managed to stumble to its feet for just a moment, long enough for Wrex to step inside its reach, thrust the muzzle of his gun right up to the skinny neck, and pull the trigger twice. The head flew away, bouncing off one of the husks, and the krogan shoved away the distorted corpse. "Alright, Shepard, forget what I said earlier. Let's nuke this place."

"It's the only way to be sure," Ashley quoted, Garrus nodding enthusiastically. "How much further, Commander?"

"Not much further. Saren's office should be just up ahead. We'll data strip the computers, then move to the central courtyard area and have Joker bring in the nuke." She took a moment to flex her pistol hand, already sore from a half hour of nearly non-stop running and gunning.

Sure enough, they arrived in Saren's office, and Shepard looked around quickly. _That's weird, there's no sign of Rana Thana-whatever,_ she thought. "Strip these computers, then we get down this elevator to his private sanctum." She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure there's Reaper tech down there, so we need to keep our visit brief."

Naturally, this was when the elevator doors were blown explosively out, sending her crashing into Wrex, both of their shields failing, and she moved quickly to raise a fresh barrier. Smoke grenades were tossed out, and she caught sight of a familiar symbol as three heavily armored men charged out, blowing out the windows. She had just enough time to see their leader, a familiar face she'd taken great joy in killing right before storming Earth.

Kai Leng didn't even look in her direction, though she was sure it couldn't be anyone else through the haze. She threw a singularity at them, sending one of the armored men spinning out the window to fall to his death. Leng just snagged a hand on the desk, now looking around for her as he drew his monofilament sword.

Fortunately for Shepard, Liara took that moment to detonate the singularity, sending a second soldier spinning out the window, though this one at least was attached to a rappelling line. The third started firing wildly into the smoke, and Garrus, though equally blind, returned fire perfectly, two sniper shots blowing off an arm before slamming the body against the wall.

Even as Shepard raised her own pistol to fire at Kai Leng, he simply threw his sword and dived out the window, his own line grabbing the windowsill with a powerful mass effect field. She ran to the window, firing down at him, only to see the Cerberus ninja vanish into the lower levels of the facility. "Damnit!" she swore. "Alright, there's nothing we can do about it now. We need to plant the nuke and get everyone out of here ASAP."

"Who was that?" Liara asked, trying futilely to wave some of the smoke away as it dissipated through the shattered windows. Ashley nodded along with the question, carefully scooting out from underneath where the sword was stuck into the wall before standing up.

"Cerberus," she spat, turning back towards the door. "They took everything useful before blowing it up."

"Did we get enough useful information from the labs?" Wrex rumbled, standing by the door with his shotgun ready.

"We'll have to ask Mordin," she replied. "But I hope so. Otherwise you'll have to ask Okeer for information." His response was a wordless growl.

"Isn't he hiding somewhere out in the Terminus systems?" Garrus asked as he lined up a shot on one of the eerily silent krogan clones charging their direction. Taking the shot, he looked up at everyone else's expressions. "He's number nine of C-Sec's most wanted list."

"Keeping tabs on my people, turian?" The shotgun boomed a moment later, turning a geth platform into scrap metal.

"Not all of them have your natural charm and civility," Garrus deadpanned, overloading another one as it came up behind the warlord. "And they hate losing at Skyllian Five."

Reaching the courtyard, she signaled the Normandy, watching as it swooped in, Tali and Adams already waiting in the cargo bay with the nuke. It took them only moments to set it, the marines and STG already falling back with minimal casualties. Less than five minutes later, the Normandy was landing in a clearing, the marines and STG jumping aboard before the clones could be organized for a counter-attack, and the STG gratefully reuniting with their rescued brethren.

Gaining the attention of Mordin and Kirrahe, Shepard jerked her head for the elevator, leading them upstairs and into the meeting room. "I hate to bring bad news," she started.

"Captives possible indoctrination risk," Mordin responded instantly, waiting for her slow nod to continue. "Have already begun observation, VI collating responses both verbal and non, autonomous warning signs." The scientist looked regretfully at the younger Captain. "Expect very long debrief. Possible they will be field retired."

Kirrahe sighed. "It could be worse. Our mission is a success, thanks to you, Commander. Mordin told me you're a human Spectre." He gravely extended a hand, which she shook with equal solemnity. "Unexpected to see your species gaining such recognition so quickly, but I'd say today justifies it."

"Thank you, captain. We'll be swinging by Sur'Kesh to drop off you and your men, and allow Mordin to run a few other errands." He nodded gratefully and departed. "Mordin, do you still have any reservations about what I'm asking?"

He paced back and forth for a moment, his two fingers flicking through data on his omni-tool. "Some reservations, yes. Agree with you, past time for krogan social revolution, past time for genophage cure. Still worrying factors." His omni-tool suddenly pulled up a headcam image of the brute. "Seen human, elcor variants of this. Your term: husk."

She swallowed dryly, a sudden vivid flashback to crouching behind a concrete block, hearing fire from marauders and cannibals chipping away at it, when a giant brute suddenly just leaned over the side, one vicious fist coming down at her like an orbital strike. She rolled sideways, watching the beast's skull dent as one of Garrus' shots impacts it right on the temple, textbook perfect, and still not enough even from a Widow to stop it. Javik comes to her rescue, his shotgun putting two rounds into its elbow, crippling the arm long enough for her warp to take effect and three rounds from her pistol to finish the job Garrus started.

She came back to the present a moment later, catching Mordin's worried gaze. "That particular variety we named 'brutes.' The Reapers did that to every single race as they worked on harvesting us." She paused, thinking about it, then shook her head. "Except the volus. I can't remember seeing a volus husk."

"Worrying. Universal adaptation, draws out species strengths, universally improves strength, speed, toughness." He looked back at her as he cancelled the display. "Futility, lack of hope, endemic among krogan. Genophage cure possible to turn around. Only if Wrex can take control, show clear path to galactic stability."

"I agree," she said, and finally dropped into one of the chairs, watching Mordin as he continued to pace. "That's why our next stop will be Tuchanka. I'm not a hundred percent sure how to find the one female I know can help him, but I have an idea."

"Dangerous, of course," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Shepard, mean this in best possible way: You are incapable of taking the easy path." _Holy cow, he even slowed down his speech to emphasize it_, she thought dazedly. "Makes life exciting, also terrifying. Constant search for next adrenaline high."

She considered it, in light of her history. She knew, as a kid, she'd gotten her mom in trouble a couple of times on different ships and stations when she did crazy "kid antics" and played practical jokes. Her mom said she'd always inherited it from her father, dead in the same drive core malfunction that had exposed a Hannah Shepard still unaware of her very early pregnancy to eezo. He'd been something of a daredevil himself, an attitude more familiar to fighter pilots than engineering officers.

The chase after Saren had certainly been filled with those heart-stopping (and ass-clenching) moments that made you feel alive. Likewise the run to stop the Collectors. It wasn't until after the Alpha Relay, and her necessary though atrocious murder of over a quarter million batarians, that she grew to hate the conflict, even as she was thrown into it more often.

"You're not too far off, Mordin," she finally said. "Yeah, part of me loves it. But against the Reapers, there's no enjoyment in the adrenalin, in the fight. It's not an _if_ you die, it's a _when_."

"Yet you keep fighting. Taking advantage of cosmic fluke – practically _deus ex machina_ – to win rigged fight." He tilted his head. "Tale from human media, the 'Kobiyashi Maru.'"

"I'm familiar with it," she responded dryly. "Mom made sure I watched dad's favorite tv show."

"Point made – you cheated, still aiming to win." He sat down opposite her, staring at her with those giant black salarian eyes. "Why is your heart not in it?"

She sighed, scrubbing at her eyes with the palms of her hand. "I don't know, Mordin. I thought I had this all figured out, I could predict all of their moves – then Nazara goes and orbital drops a can of whoop ass on Dekunna. And I just can't get my head around it. Why Dekunna? Why the elcor? They weren't a threat to the Reapers, they hardly participate in galactic society, their contributions in the final Reaper war only outclassed the salarians." She looked up at him, eyes still feeling gritty. "The dalatrass is a grade A bitch. Refused any help for anyone because I refused to talk you into sabotaging the genophage cure."

"Unsurprising," he said. "Still, Dekunna as target obvious." He waited a moment to see her Spock-raised eyebrow before elaborating. "Elcor reputation among humans same as among salarians – quiet, respectful, dull even. Good people. No elcor mercenaries worth mentioning. Produce music, poetry, foods. Overall most _peaceful_ civilization on Citadel." He looked at her for a moment. "Think of human reaction towards child abuser. Picked on the weakest among us. Incites fear, mistrust, blame. Asari will blame turians for failure to protect; turians will blame salarians for failure to predict; humans will agitate for increased military force, everyone will blame them for actions of convenience."

She slumped backwards in the seat, despair written on her face. "So what do we do now?"

"Recommend rousing speech. Citadel Council needs to be shamed. Not by me; public appearances outside of script and stage not my idiom." He held up a warning hand as a smile started to ghost its way across her face. "Ideal candidate yourself. Other charismatic figures, perhaps Hackett, Victus."

She considered it before rising to her feet. "Thank you, Mordin. You've been a great help."

"Glad to be of assistance, Shepard. Task great. Chance of success slim." He took a deep breath and spread that wide smile. "Has to be you."

"Someone else might get it wrong," they said in unison. She gave him a perfect salute, which he stood and returned gravely. Striding out into the CIC, she looked around for Pressly, seeing him standing over the shoulder of the weapons ensign's station. "Pressly, please send a message to Palaven, that I'd like to have a conversation with General Victus as soon as is convenient for him. Meanwhile, how's our course?"

"We'll be in Sur'Kesh orbit in twenty, Commander. Already received boarding approval with one of their orbital stations to offload Captain Kirrahe's STG, and onload some supplies as thanks." He shrugged at her amused expression. "I figure I can give salarian cuisine a shot."

Mordin paused before going down the stairs. "Recommend trying the," and his omni-tool spat out two salarian words without translation. Frowning, he fiddled with it for a moment. "Closest analog is 'Swedish meatballs,' but vegetarian. Considered staple of Dagnes colony."

"Does it taste better than the meatball MRE?" Pressly asked rhetorically, already moving over to supervise the comms tech. "I've got everything under control if you want to see off the salarians, Commander."

"Good job, XO," she said, clearly amused, and followed Mordin down the stairs. After bidding Kirrahe farewell, and exchanging extranet contacts, she sat down in her cabin, struggling through writing the report to Hackett, doing her best to explain who Kai Leng was. After sending it off, finding they were about to jump to Arcturus, she paused, grinned to herself, and started a person search while she composed a letter.

_Miranda, _

_Not sure what Kai Leng ran off with, but you should have the parts from Luna and Nazara needed to build the AI for the SR-2. I'm looking forward to seeing it operational, and talking to you about bigger opportunities._

_Shepard_

_P.S. Talk to Oriana before she traces this out enough to find you on her own. It'll be less messy that way._

Checking her VI, she pulled up the three people on Illium named "Oriana," picked out the right one, and sent off the letter. Miranda might possibly open up by shooting her for interfering, but it would prove better than anything else that Cerberus wasn't protecting her sister like she hoped. Sighing again, she checked their progress, finding the ship just docking at Arcturus.

"Commander," Pressly greeted her as she stepped onto the CIC. "Admiral Hackett sent word for you to join him in his office." She nodded, glancing at the time function her omni-tool. "He sent it ten minutes ago as we approached."

"I guess it's a late night for everyone, then," she said. "Who's got duty? Unless Hackett says otherwise I'd like to give everyone a day on the station before we head back to Sur'Kesh to get Mordin."

"Section one, so that's me," he replied.

"Alright. I'll message you soon as I know, and the crew can start liberty in the morning." He nodded, moving up to stand over the galaxy map, and she headed into the station.

To her surprise, Victus was standing in Hackett's office, engaged in conversation with Shastri and the admiral, her entrance shifting the conversation quickly. "So, Commander," the turian said, giving her a strong handshake, "how have you heard of me?"

"It's, ah, bit of a long story," she said, glancing past him to Hackett questioningly, "but my judgment says you're good people." The office had been rearranged slightly to fit three chairs in front of the desk, and they all sat down. "Thank you, General, it's a surprise to find you here."

"I'm glad to be here. The admiral and I spent an hour discussing our forces respective tactics against Nazara. Quite productively, I might add. Please, call me Victus." He spread his mandibles in clear amusement. "I think we can dispense with ranks for a little while, right?"

"I'm game if you are," Hackett replied with a smile. "And a better meeting than our first one, too. I don't think I'm likely to get another scar from this one."

Shastri looked between the two of them. "Yet another step that would have been unimaginable when I first got elected." He cleared his throat. "Shepard, I don't know if you've been following the news over the last two days since we blew up Nazara."

"Not really," she replied. "After destroying Saren's lab on Virmire I was more concerned with returning the STG we rescued. Do you mind giving me the highlights?"

Hackett put on a good poker face, and switched his painting to a media report. "The attack by Nazara and the geth merely proves what Cerberus has known for years – those who cannot defend themselves will fail." She listened to the Illusive Man for the rest of the sixty-second sound bite, her own face grim.

"That was hacked into all the major Alliance networks a few hours ago," Shastri said. "Similar sentiments have been expressed by major media figures in asari, turian, and even batarian networks. I've been doing my best to counter it, but Prime Minister Clark is a spineless wimp."

Victus' mandibles spread wide in amusement again. "Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Not when I'm trying to oust him and take over," he replied.

"Shepard, do you have anything we can use to counter this? I understand your own feelings towards Cerberus are somewhat mixed," Hackett interjected. "Even I find myself agreeing with their goals occasionally. But definitely not their methods."

She thought about it, her mind going back to Mordin's words several hours earlier. "The Reapers struck at the elcor deliberately. They picked the one race in Citadel space least able to defend themselves. They didn't want to test the resolve of the turians, the cunning of the salarians, or the experience of the asari. They wanted to make us doubt ourselves. They wanted us to feel ashamed for not being better allies, better _friends_, with each other. Even after we destroyed the first of them, Nazara's agents are trying to make us suspicious and doubtful of each other. Because if we're all watching each other, weapons drawn, we're easier for them to conquer. If we're holding a knife at each other's throats, they can shoot us in the back without so much as drawing a deep breath. Only together, united in alliance, can we resist them.

"They don't aim to plunder us, they don't want to enslave us, they want nothing less than our _complete extinction_, just like they did to the Protheans, just like they did to countless number of species before them. Together, we _can_ stop them. Apart … fifty thousand years from now archaeologists will be wondering what caused _our_ galactic extinction."

Silence ruled the room, then Shastri's omni-tool beeped. "Shepard, that was a damn fine speech. I better be watching my back if you ever get bored in the military." He grinned, as did the other two men, and he tapped a hologram. "That just went out as an exclusive to Emily Wong. In an hour, it'll be all over Alliance space and beyond."

"Even translated into turian, that was very rousing," Victus added. "I hope you don't mind if I blatantly plagiarize it? Hackett and I, together with Colonel Vaykom of the STG, will be addressing the Council two days from now."

"We'll all be playing heavily on our reputations," Hackett added dryly. "If former enemies, especially ones like us who've drawn each other's blood, can work together in such a situation, hopefully they can't do less."

"And if not, just give them some subtle signals from the sidelines," Shastri said, covering one fist with his other hand before yanking it down. Seeing the blank looks on everyone else's face, he sighed. "It's a pilot symbol. Means pull your head out of your ass. Stop acting like an idiot," he clarified for the confused turian.

"That'll go over well with Sparatus," Victus quipped. "The other two, probably not so much. Thank you for the time, Shepard. I look forward to working with you some day."

"Likewise, Victus," she said, shaking his hand again. "Admiral, unless you've got something else for the Normandy, I wanted to give the crew a liberty day before we return to Sur'Kesh."

"Fine by me, Commander. Just keep the drunken brawls to a minimum." She nodded, departing the office. _How the hell does he look perfectly awake and collected when it's past midnight?_ she thought to herself as she moved through the thinning crowds.

Her fatigue was to blame, she decided at the sudden feel of a gun barrel pressed against her lower spine. "What exactly was the message supposed to accomplish?" came a quiet, familiar voice, the breath tickling her ear.

"Get your attention. Show you that Cerberus can't do everything you think it can, Miranda," she replied calmly, then turned to look at the other woman, the gun now pressed against her bellybutton. "You want to have this conversation somewhere not in the middle of a corridor with witnesses and security recordings?"

The black haired operative stared at her for a moment, fury etched across her face, before nodding and slipping the pistol away. "Lead on, then," she said magnanimously. "Who's going to protect my sister if not me? And before you say anything else, I intercepted the message before she read it."

"Dang, so much for subtlety," Shepard responded sarcastically, "I'll have to do something like take out a billboard on her route to school." She glanced aside at the sudden flush of anger. "Geez, Miri, ease up. I would never put your sister in real danger. Well, maybe if she asked. Then again, she did nearly take down your father by herself."

"Ah, another reference to your alleged time travel," she spat out. "And how does that explain how you knew who Oriana was, or how to find her?"

"You were with me on the SR-2. We stopped Niket from turning Oriana over to your father, and later, when Henry Lawson was busy brainwashing people and turning them into Reaper husks on the Illusive Man's orders, Oriana nearly stopped the whole thing." She glanced over again as they waited to cross a street. "Then you threw him out a window."

They proceeded in silence for several minutes, finally stopping outside of a diner not too far from the Normandy's docking port. "Let's say I do believe you," Miranda said slowly. "How am I supposed to protect Oriana if Cerberus won't?"

Shepard smiled, and reached for the door handle. "Have you considered being the Shadow Broker?" she asked, stepping inside. She didn't need to look back to know the genetically engineered biotic was hot on her heels.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: For the several reviews protesting that Miranda wouldn't just go along with Shepard that easily ... give me some credit. Butterfly effect is in full swing now, as all the changes that have happened, and the ones that didn't, start catching up. As always, I love reviews!_

* * *

It was nearing three in the morning when she heard the distinctive sound of a gun charging up, followed shortly afterwards by several others. Miranda had gone into that careful, someone's-pointing-a-gun-at-me stillness. Shepard looked over her shoulder at Garrus, then over her other shoulder at Ashley, then past them at a half-dozen off duty Marines. "For fuck's sake, can everyone put their weapons away? I left mine on board." Garrus, obviously knowledgeable of the six guns pointing in his direction, slowly withdrew a pistol and handed it to her, still folded.

Grumbling, she set it down on the table and looked at the one poor waiter, standing stock-still with terror behind the counter. "Hey, um, Bill? You have any dextro food here?" He blinked several times at her, now focusing, so she repeated the question. Stammering something about getting it out of the freezer, he fled into the back. "OK, now that the civvies are out of the way, can everyone please put the guns away before I have to gravity slam the lot of you?"

Ashley, she noted, glanced at Garrus before putting away her assault rifle, and he put away his own. The marines stowed their own weapons when she waved at them irritably, but they remained watchful of the whole group. She waved them to sit down, and Garrus slipped into the seat beside her quickly, leaving a slightly more suspicious Ash to sit next to Miranda. "You hang out with such interesting people, Commander," Miranda drawled, watching the chief twitch as she raised a coffee cup.

"Why do you think I messaged you?" she shot back, before taking a large drag on her own coffee. "So, I've been talking for two hours now. Just to point out, Garrus and Tali believed me about the time I showed them the Mnemosyne Reaper." She took another sip, watching the woman's impassive face. "Ash, you bring a deck of cards?"

Her two shipmates both turned to look at her like she was crazy. "Um, Commander, what do you need a deck of cards for?"

"Skyllian Five. I'm curious if Miranda still has the same set of tells." She raised an eyebrow, eyes still locked on the biotic opposite her. "So. Cards?" Ash stared at her for a moment longer, then stood up long enough to get into one of the pocket-compartments in her armor, setting down a used deck. She shuffled and dealt, neither biotic breaking their staring contest to glance at the cards. "I'm guessing you've got a pair."

The comment was enough to cause Garrus to snicker, breaking the tableau briefly. "Indeed." Miranda laid down her cards, leading the others to all do the same. "I'm still not sure I believe you, Shepard."

"I'm not sure I do either," the turian said, causing all three to turn and look at him. "But given every other option I could think of, it not only makes the most sense, but going along with her does seem to be the best choice if we want to survive a Prothean-level extinction." He glanced at her, then back across at Miranda, his mandibles shifting to the embarrassed position. "Also, she's meaner than I am."

"Why do I feel like everyone is talking over my head?" Ashley grumbled.

"We … kind of are. I will fill you in when we're back on board the Normandy." Shepard's omni-tool chimed, and she turned to look at the marines, still watching them all worriedly. "Alright guys, clear out. We need some privacy."

The marines exchanged glances before they nudged one of their number forward. "Um, I don't know who you are, but you don't have the authority to order us out of here. Especially when the kitty-bird was just pointing a rifle at the other lady."

"Sergeant. I'm Commander Shepard." She paused for the full effect of her name to sink in, a tiny benefit to having what felt like every damn reporter on the station mob the docks every time the Normandy pulled in. "You and your buddies can leave, or I can find out which LT you work for and get him up at," she paused to look at her omni-tool, "0313. What's it going to be?"

"Ah, we'll leave, ma'am, only we haven't paid yet," he stammered out.

"Guesstimate it, then," she growled, and they all hurriedly pulled out credit sticks from their pockets, shuffled funds around between them, and left one on the table as they fled.

"Now I get to find out what that was about?" Miranda asked.

Shepard slumped back down into her seat, nodding. "Pressuring you via family, round two." Miranda's face went stony as an Alliance recruiter showed up on the holographic display. He was standing on a residential street mostly thronged with asari, the occasional member of other races visible. "Chief Llanez, hold tight there for a minute." He nodded, and after a moment a human teenager who looked almost exactly like Miranda came sprinting out the door of one apartment building, weaving through the crowds. "Thanks Chief. The autographed Normandy collectible will be shipped tomorrow." She cut off the communication without a response.

Miranda glared at her, eyes shining with hatred. "You'll get an Alliance recruiter to strong-arm her into the service?"

They stared at each other for a moment, anger and sad determination meeting with neither giving way. "No. I figure I'll send her a dossier on you. Lots of explaining how everything she has in her life is because you're helping Cerberus kill aliens just like the ones she's grown up around her whole life." Ashley twitched at that, almost drawing out her weapon again before Shepard's upraised hand stopped her. "Unless you count that as 'strong-arming.'"

Miranda slowly leaned back in the booth, closing her eyes and fighting to put her poker face back on. When she opened her eyes, she looked not at Shepard, but at Garrus. "You're right."

"I am?"

"She's much, _much_ meaner than you are." She gave a brief nod of respect to the turian, who looked less than thrilled to receive it. "So, either I agree to your insane plan, or you convince the only person I care about in the galaxy to hate me. Does that sum it up?"

Uncharacteristically, Shepard hesitated a moment before responding. "It sounds a lot meaner out loud than it did in my head … yes, that sums it up." She gave a tight, tired smile across the table. "But she doesn't have to be the _only_ person in the universe you care about."

Miranda drained the last of her coffee, retrieving a credit chit and dropping it onto the table. "I'll agree to your plan. I'll work with you, because as he pointed out, it is the best option for stopping the rest of the Reapers before they can kill us all." She gestured imperiously to Ashley, who hesitated a moment before sliding out of the booth. "But I will _never_ forgive you for this." With those parting words, she stalked out of the café and vanished into the streets and corridors of Arcturus Station.

Shepard breathed out a long sigh, slumping down in the seat and closing her eyes. After a moment, she cracked one eye open, looking over the table at Ashley. "So, whose idea was it to come find me?"

"Actually, it was mine," Tali said from the door, coming inside to perch on a stool nearby, Kaidan joining her. "We convinced the café staff not to summon the authorities. Pressly got worried when you didn't come back after your meeting."

"She tracked you here, and we saw you having the conversation with that woman," Garrus said. "Who was she, anyway? Besides someone else you're trying to recruit."

Ashley slumped down in the booth herself. "And can someone please explain what the hell is going on here?"

Shepard sighed again, closing her eyes and taking several moments to try and organize her tired thoughts. "I saw the Reapers arrive, watched Earth, Palaven, Thessia, and a hundred other planets all burn. Then, as far as I can tell, I lucked into some insane cosmic loophole, and came back in time." She cracked her eyes open again to see Ashley's doubtful expression and Kaidan's blank one. "The last time … on Virmire, I had to leave you to die, Kaidan." He blinked at that, and Ashley sat up in surprise. "Ashley died when Udina shot her in the back, trying to help Cerberus take over the Citadel."

"Who was that bosh'tet in the white suit, then?" Tali asked. "She didn't look like Alliance."

"She's not. She's essentially second-in-command of Cerberus." Kaidan sucked in a deep breath upon hearing that. "I just finished … extorting her to quit her job and become the Shadow Broker." She glanced around at the unbelieving expressions (or in the quarian's case, unbelieving posture). "I … well, obviously she doesn't like me this time around. But unlike other Cerberus people, she joined it for noble motives, not xenophobic ones."

"Are you sure she won't turn on you?" Kaidan asked quietly. "I mean, you did just threaten her sister."

Shepard spread her hands. "I hope not. She is a good person … if she can just learn to open up." Her jaw cracked as an unexpected yawn leaped on her and tackled her into submission. "Too much to do, not enough time," she muttered around another yawn, as Garrus helped pull her out of the booth.

"Are there more people you wanted to track down, Shepard?" he asked her, as she gripped the rear of the armor collar.

"A whole bunch," she complained. "Thane, Jack, Kasumi, Samara, Javik," she broke off in another yawn, stumbling to a halt as they paused to let a supply truck rumble past.

"Give me the information tomorrow," Garrus said. "I think between Tali and I, we can track them down."

"Garrus, you haven't met any of them yet," she protested, still stumbling along, exhausted.

"I _am_ a trained investigator," he pointed out dryly. "I found dozens of people I never met before."

She huffed out a sigh, catching Tali's giggle at her expression. "_Fine_, I'll give you the list in the morning," she mock-grumbled. Turning the corner towards their dock, she swore, straightening up slightly. "Shit, it's that bitch reporter Khalisah al-Jilani."

"Relax, Shepard, I've got this," Tali promised, immediately running through options with her omni-tool.

"Commander Shepard! Westunderland News and loyal Alliance citizens everywhere need to know the truth! Are you –"

"**ASSUMING DIRECT CON-**" The tiny speaker on the camera didn't get a chance to finish saying the phrase before Shepard's biotics had hit it with a singularity and detonated it with a warp.

"What the hell was that?" Khalisah said, pale and sweating from the sudden and apparently unprovoked assault.

"Tali," Shepard said, in that oh-so-calm-yet-terrifyingly-threatening tone of voice, "where did you get that idea?"

"Um, it was from some movie clip Joker showed me," the quarian stammered out.

"Oh really," she said, suddenly walking under her own power, fatigue momentarily forgotten. "I'm going to find out who made it, and send them hate mail. Or bullets. Too tired to decide. Maybe hate mail engraved on bullets?" Her voice trailed off as she walked down the docking tube. The four crew members exchanged thoroughly worried glances before rushing to catch up to her, leaving al-Jilani to scream useless profanities after them.

* * *

They stayed in dock at Arcturus for three days, after Mordin sent a message detailing when to pick him up from Sur'Kesh. The alien contingent was, if not openly welcomed, at least not discriminated against either. Word passed through the station's rumor mill very quickly that picking on aliens, or even using common slang words, was a real quick way to pick a fight with Normandy crew, and since they had a krogan battlemaster on their side, only the dumbest, most arrogant did anything after the first night, when Wrex put seventeen people in the hospital protecting Tali and two of the engineering crew.

Their arrival at the salarian homeworld went even smoother, as the Dalatrass openly invited the Normandy to stay and allow the crew two days of liberty. This time, aside from her weapons ensign twisting an ankle on a broken fall down a flight of stairs, there were no incidents – and unlike al-Jilani, the media presence was benign.

So, a week after discussing the plan with Mordin, they finally entered orbit over Tuchanka. Unlike the SR-2, the original Normandy was small enough to fit in one of the underground docking bays, though few pilots aside from Joker could have pulled off the tight landing. This time, aside from specific people, the crew was not leaving. Wrex was the only krogan she could count on to not pick fights with her humans.

They debarked in silence, Wrex leading herself, Garrus, and Mordin out into the broken, underground lair that served as the home for clan Urdnot. The guards tried to stop them, only to have Wrex singularity one and headbutt the other. Out in the open bay, she followed him up to the throne made of broken concrete blocks. One of the krogan, she thought was Wreav, moved to protest, only to have Wrex headbutt him, too. "I am Urdnot Wrex, and I claim leadership of this clan!"

The shaman perked up at this, even as rumbling started echoing in the chamber. More than a few hateful looks were sent in the direction of her and the other two aliens. "By what right do you claim leadership?" the shaman shouted, backed by angry roars from a dozen krogan throats.

"I am the oldest. I am the strongest." Wrex glared around impartially before centering his gaze on Wreav. "Let any who wish to challenge me step forward. I killed a thresher maw with my krannt. I've killed more batarians and turians than any asari commando can claim. I," he paused to savor the moment, "have killed _rachni_."

Wreav had obviously been ready to fight, but this last made him pause. "That's a bold claim, Wrex," he shouted. "Can you prove it?"

In answer, the battlemaster pointed at Mordin, who opened up the crate Garrus helped him carry from the ship. Inside it was a rachni tendril, preserved but obviously fresh. Wreav stared at it for a moment before flapping a hand in submission. "I bow to the superior strength of Urdnot Wrex," he said insincerely. Wrex growled at him again, causing the lesser warrior to back another step away from the throne.

Mounting the step, he sat down in it, his battered armor fitting in perfectly with the surroundings. "First thing – things are going to change around here. Call the female clans as well. We, clan Urdnot, are going to cure the genophage." He pointed to Mordin, who stepped forward to bow respectfully. "We, clan Urdnot, are going to start a krogan revolution. We, clan Urdnot, will make a new place for the krogan in Citadel space!"

The roar that came in response was loud enough to send fragments falling from the ceiling. _They might be disappointed when they finally realize the scope of his plans_, she thought grimly. Still, she remained firm, and quite glad for her helmet.

Four hours later, the leaders of three female clans, five male clans, and the shamans for all of them plus a few more, had arrived at a neutral location close to Urdnot's holdings. Shepard, Mordin, and Garrus remained as unobtrusive as possible, watching them file in, as she worked hard to try and separate out the female shamans and identify which one was which. When they were about to start, one last leader/shaman pair arrived, the females for Weyrloc, and Wrex introduced them.

"Curious. The famed Urdnot Wrex collecting a stable of alien pets," came the familiar voice, and Shepard could feel ice running down her spine. _I completely forgot that almost all of Maelon's test subjects were from Weyrloc_, she thought in dismay. Still, she swallowed against her sudden nervousness.

"Wrex, Mordin, this is the one I told you about."

"And how would a human know anything about me?" the shaman challenged.

"Your name is Bakara," she answered. A fraction of a second later, a krogan fist impacted her cheekbone, and she fell into blackness.

When she awoke aboard the Normandy in med bay, the first thing she tried to do was reach up a hand to feel her face. It moved about two feet, then jerked short, and a moment later she heard Chakwas scolding her. "I knew you would try something like that, Commander. Leave it alone and let it heal."

"What, ow, happened?" she said, wincing against the sudden unexpected pain of talking.

"You had your clock cleaned by a krogan, obviously. Garrus brought you back on board." She waved an omni-tool over Shepard's face, and icy numbness enveloped the whole side of her face. "Wrex found the whole situation hilarious, apparently. But apparently everything is working out for the best."

"We can't leave yet," is what she tried to say, but with the numbness it came out more like, "We can beeb yen." Scowling at the smile on the doctor's face, she typed it into her omni-tool.

"We're still on the surface, Commander. It will take at least another two hours for the medigel to fix that broken cheekbone." She held up an admonishing finger before releasing the bed restraints. "If you poke at it, I may end up having to rebreak it and re-set it. Which Wrex has offered to do." The field around her arm vanished, and Shepard carefully sat up.

_How long was I out?_ she typed out.

"Only about thirty minutes. The concussion should be mostly gone, but I have a monitoring program on your omni just in case. If krogan meetings are anything like Alliance ones, you can take a nap and be fully healed before they're ready to talk." Chakwas pointed a finger at her. "Consider it doctor's orders, or I'll abuse my authority and remove you from command."

_You are a harpy_, she type-groused, but left the med bay to find Garrus sitting at a table, trying to not look like he was obviously waiting on her. _Heard you picked me up and carried me back,_ she typed to him with as much of a smile as she could manage.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you weren't expecting that, either?" She just shook her head. "So much for having an all-seeing crystal eye, or whatever the human expression is."

_Crystal ball, I think,_ she responded. _Chakwas demands I go sleep, but I'm not tired. Wanna play a game?_ He shrugged, and rose to follow her. Inside her cabin, she set up a checkers board on the table, pulling up the rules for him to read. They played three rounds, Garrus beating her soundly each time, until she found herself yawning and fighting to keep her eyes open. _I think she drugged me_, she typed out carefully, catching the humorous slant to his mandibles.

"Goodness, no, we can't have the Commander take a nap while we wait for krogan to make up their minds," he said sarcastically. He helped her up from the chair, motioning her towards the bed, only for her to grab his hand and try to drag him along. "Um, Shepard, I don't think I'm quite ready for that kind of relationship yet," he protested.

_Not sex. Want companionship,_ she typed quickly, and he reluctantly allowed her to drag him to the bed. They lay down on top of the covers, Shepard curling up to his chest, head resting on his arm with a thin fold of the sheet to protect her from scratches. She was asleep in moments, though he lay there for quite some time, listening to her breathing and watching the tips of her hair flutter in time with his own, before he also finally fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: So, Tuchanka is behind us, and Rannoch ahead. The genophage cure is just starting to be researched, and peace with the geth looks to be in the near future. Not bad for one month of work, right? I would like to give congrats to BronzedAmazon for being my 100th reviewer - I gave her a good half dozen reviews in response. It's better to give than to receive, right?_

* * *

Four hours later, both she and Garrus jerked awake when Pressly's voice came over the comm. "Commander, the krogan have finished their … talks." She was fairly sure he was fighting to keep a straight face on the last word. "Wrex is asking if you're well enough to see him again."

It took her a few seconds to respond as she sat up and carefully worked her jaw a few times. "Let him know I'll be down in a minute," she said, standing up. Garrus had already slipped quietly off the bed and stood by the door. "Thanks, I needed that, even if I didn't want to admit it," she said quiet, moving over to stand next to the suddenly shy turian.

"Uh, Commander, the comm is still on," came Pressly's voice, causing Shepard's face to rather suddenly become the color of a crayon.

"I convinced Doctor Chakwas to slip her a sedative so she could take a nap," Garrus said towards the speakers, his own mandibles reflecting his embarrassment. Joker could be heard shouting something inaudible but congratulatory sounding in the background before the navigator finally cut off the comms. "I'm … not ever going to live this down, am I."

Still blushing furiously, she reached past him for the door control. "You have less to worry about than I do, I think. I hope this doesn't start giving the crew ideas about my leadership."

He scoffed slightly as they started climbing the stairs to the CIC. "I just hope this doesn't get back to my father." He was quiet for a moment, then put out a hand to stop her before they reached the top door. "I don't suppose you met him in the future?"

Her face fell slightly, with the unnoticed bonus of making her blush fade somewhat. "No. He and your sister were on Palaven when … I'm sorry." She placed one hand over his, squeezing his fingers before stepping up and opening the door, letting his hand fall away. "I'll be down talking to Wrex," she addressed her XO.

"Understood, ma'am," he answered, studiously focusing on the console in front of him. She took a few steps past him, then whirled around just in time to see his head jerk back, eyes forward. She paced backwards around him, watching him try and withhold a twitch as she circled him like a predator. She stepped up to the galaxy map podium, bending over the rail, watching the sweat break out on his forehead as he fought not to meet her eyes.

She stalked back down and up behind him, standing on her tiptoes to lean over his back, millimeters separating their uniforms. Almost the entire bridge crew had turned to watch by now, several of them fighting back laughter. Even Garrus was torn between laughter and mortification. "Oh Pressly," she dragged out the words in a sing-song voice, watching a blush creeping up his neck and face. "What are you thinking about, Pressly?" she continued, twirling a strand of hair just close enough to fan the back of his neck.

"Nothing, ma'am," he said, voice commendably firm and in control, despite the sweatdrops on his forehead and blush nearly as bright as hers had been.

"Oh," she drawled out, sliding to his side and leaning over the console next to him, a sultry smile coming onto her face as he again fought to avoid eye contact. "So you haven't been up here thinking about me making love to a turian?"

"Spirits protect me," Garrus muttered, covering his eyes with one hand as an audible round of smothered laughs surged through the CIC. "Shepard, if you don't stop that right now I'm telling Wrex to reset the bones in your face." When she just shot him an amused look, he moved on to threat number two. "Or I can upload those adorable pictures of you drooling in your sleep to the ship's extranet."

She stopped at that, sending him a glare as a new round of smothered laughs rang through the room, topped with pleas from Joker for said pictures. "So, you're saying you wouldn't introduce Pressly to your sister?" The navigator shot him a look that was about eighty percent terror, twenty percent … hope? He still wasn't that good with human facial expressions.

"Don't make me steal Joker's _Battlemaster of Love_ Fornax and tell Wrex it's yours," he threatened, and this round of laughs (topped with a "Don't you dare!" from the pilot) nobody bothered to smother.

Shepard straightened, and took a moment to fix her hair before replying. "Fine, you win." The laughter had done everyone a world of good, he could see weeks of worry erased from her face, and her steps were far more jaunty as they headed out the airlock to the underground hall of Clan Urdnot.

Wreav, unhappy about it, brought them to a corner room that Mordin was busy converting into a laboratory with the help of several barely-technically-inclined krogan. "Careful! Equipment sensitive. Damage could make difference between complete sterilization and twins." The salarian turned around, spotting them, and waved briefly before continuing his fast-paced harangue.

"Pretty good little pyjak," Wrex rumbled from behind them, and Shepard turned to see the battlemaster, alone. "He's already gotten data from his contacts, and I'm going to have to dip into some hidden assets to get him all the equipment he wants. Still," Wrex paused, eyes glinting with hope, "he thinks he can have the genophage cured in five years."

With some difficulty, the krogan pulled his arm in the closest he could get to an Alliance salute. "It's all thanks to you, Shepard. Too bad more humans aren't like you."

Behind her, Garrus shuddered. "Spirits save the galaxy if they were," he muttered, causing the krogan to laugh loudly.

"What about Bakara?" she asked. "Is she joining clan Urdnot? I don't know how all your clan stuff works."

"No, but she is taking leadership of most of the female clans. Teaching the krogan how to be more than just hired killers – or _unhired_ killers – is going to be a major problem. Fortunately, she gets to deal with the young ones, hopefully teach them right before they pick too many bad habits from grumpy old krogan like me." He grinned broadly. "So, where is your brand of crazy taking you next?"

Shepard shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "I dunno. Maybe I'll swing by Rannoch, negotiate peace between the geth and the quarians."

Wrex studied her for a moment before nodding. "Anyone else, I'd say they were joking. From you, I take it as a statement of intent." He waved a hand to indicate the ramshackle hall. "Let me know if you plan to drop by again, I'll try and get the place cleaned up." He extended a hand, and she shook it gravely, both of them nodding in mutual respect.

"You'll see me again, Wrex. How long before you think you're ready to petition the Council for an official embassy?"

"Not until I can find some krogan smart enough to do the job and tough enough some blockhead like Wreav won't kill him," he lamented. "So, maybe twenty years or so."

"That seems fast for a krogan," Garrus said.

"Hey, cut me a break. After you pass your first millennia, it all blends together." With one last look in the lab, which was swiftly approaching "barely acceptable" by Mordin's standards, they went back to the ship.

Back on board, she motioned to Pressly, and he followed her down to her cabin when Garrus peeled off to the cargo bay. "Here's our next destination," she said, highlighting Rannoch on her omni-tool's display. "Aside from Joker, I don't want this broadcast until after we arrive."

He studied it for a moment before looking at her worriedly. "Commander, this is deep in geth territory. Hell, the heart of it. The only experience we've had with the geth has been them attacking Eden Prime and Dekunna."

She shook her head, sitting down and gesturing him to the opposite seat, the checkers from her earlier game still out. "Remember the blank message I received?" He nodded guardedly. "That was communication from the geth. They have a … sort of like a religious schism, I suppose. There's a minority that believe the Reapers are their messiah-gods, and the majority that don't believe or trust the Reapers."

He considered this, still doubtful. "Commander, I wish I didn't have to ask this, but how are you sure we can trust them? This could all be a lure to get us into unfamiliar territory. You're the only person with the knowledge from the Prothean beacons. If the geth kill you, it makes it that much easier for the Reapers to take us out the same way they did the Protheans, and who knows how many others before them."

Shepard almost blurted out something angrily, but stopped herself. Just because _she_ had knowledge of the future didn't mean that everyone else was going to believe her of that fact. Hell, even _Garrus_ said he wasn't sure he believed her, and for that matter, Hackett might think she was a total loon who was ridiculously lucky. "It's a fair point, Charles. I sent them the first message, hoping to find a peaceful way to resolve the conflict. Let's face it – if the geth really wanted to wipe out us, let alone the quarians, they could have done so by now." She spread her hands in supplication. "We have one of the most advanced ships in the Alliance. If Joker and our stealth measures can't get us out of a trap, nothing can."

He nodded, still worried. "We can try it, Commander. I don't know what the Alliance brass is going to say if we get blown up, though."

"I discussed the idea with Admiral Hackett before we left," she said. "He's guardedly optimistic. So am I." She shrugged. "Tali's father is as close as the geth have to an expert, but according to her, they've never even _tried_ to just talk to the geth. Obviously, neither has anyone else in Citadel space."

"And because they haven't, you're going to?" he asked, voice layered with irony.

"Something like that." She eyed him cautiously. "Let's get this out in the open now. You disapprove of Garrus."

"Ma'am, that's not … I didn't …" He stumbled over his words for another moment before holding a hand up in surrender. "It's not my place to criticize your personal life."

She gave him a disapproving look. "Speak freely. Please."

He hesitated again, finally closing his eyes as he obviously marshaled his thoughts. "Why are you having a relationship with an alien?" he asked simply.

She gave it a few moments of consideration herself before replying. "He's intelligent, capable, a talented soldier. He's got a good sense of humor, and he's got gorgeous blue eyes." She could feel a hint of a blush rising on her cheeks at the last. "If I described any human that way, you'd have no problems with it."

He rolled his eyes at that. "True, Jane, because if he was human, you'd have a future with him. You two can't even share a meal without poisoning each other, let alone raise a family together!"

She gave him another disapproving look. "We might have to adopt, and make concessions to the biology sometimes." She paused, looking down at her hands. "It's also possible that we're not going to live through the next five years."

His eyes reflected thoughts new to him, but old to Shepard – watching Reapers setting their sights on a planet and set about destroying all intelligent life in the system. "I just … feel better, when I'm with him," she concluded quietly. "Isn't that what a relationship is supposed to be about?"

He heaved a sigh, rising from the chair. "What do I look like, an amateur philosopher? I'll plot us the course and give it to Joker. You want me to send Tali up?"

She rose as well, following him out the door. "No, I want to brief Ashley and Kaidan. I expect we'll be landing, so I might as well round everyone up."

"Understood, Commander." With that, he headed up to the CIC, and she down the elevator to engineering and the cargo bay.

Gathering the three took surprisingly little time, though she still missed simply being able to ask EDI to pass along messages. The Normandy's VI was capable of many things, but had proven capable of screwing up messages by delivering them to the wrong people, or with horrific timing (one of the mishaps during the drydock installation of the escape pods came to mind).

They all piled into the Mako, it being closer than the message room, and less likely to be overheard as well. "Our next destination is Rannoch," Shepard announced, causing Tali to all but bounce in her seat. "I've already opened lines of communication with the majority of the geth. The ones following Nazara are a minority, already weakened in their defeat over Dekunna."

"Are you sure this isn't a trap, Shepard?" Kaidan asked.

"Pressly just asked me the same thing. I don't think it is, but I can't prove it until we're there." She glanced at the two Alliance marines. "We will almost certainly be landing on the surface. I don't want a big crowd, so it'll be us four and the Mako." She looked at Tali, still wordless with excitement. "With luck, we can get Tali a Pilgrimage gift to top every gift ever." She paused, and caught the carefully neutral expressions both humans instantly adopted. "We'll also be taking on a passenger."

"A geth," Ashley said, her voice poker-table flat. "I'm guessing it'll be some kind of ambassador for us."

"It'll be a trial run, of sorts. To put it bluntly, _nobody_ has tried to talk to the geth _since they were created_." Tali shrank back slightly in her chair. "In the future I came from, they only reached out after I destroyed Nazara, and it still took two years to make contact. We did, eventually, make peace, but," she paused before turning fully to face Tali, "only after Admirals Koris, Gerral, _and_ Zorah perished in a futile attempt to retake Rannoch."

"And then you negotiated peace," the quarian said quietly.

"Kind of. First I had to destroy one of the smaller Reapers, on foot, by holding the sighting lasers to call in orbital strikes. Once it had stopped hacking the geth flotilla, then I told both sides they could make peace or I'd kill whoever wanted to keep fighting." She shrugged. "Turned out I only had to shoot Xen."

"Alright, Commander, so we're landing on her home planet, picking up a geth and some souvenirs, and then what?" Ashley broke in. "What do we do next to combat the Reapers?"

Shepard sighed. "Then, if we're lucky, the geth can extract the Reaper IFF from the one at Mnemosyne. Have you ever heard of the Collectors?" The two humans shook their heads, the quarian nodding. "Mostly they're only seen in the Terminus systems, and they trade advanced technology – Prothean or Reaper-based tech – for bizarre collections like 'forty volus twins' or 'a hundred left-handed batarians.' They're the husk-version of Protheans, and they've been researching all the space-faring species since we stepped out into space."

This was met with several seconds of silence. "What are they going to do to all of us?" Kaidan whispered.

She had to take several breaths to fight back the memories of the Collector base, watching the colonists being liquefied into some kind of nano-gel to be formed into a Reaper. "They break us down with some kind of nanites, converting our memories into data storage. Then turn the raw material into a new Reaper. Depending on the suitability of the species, it affects the size of the Reaper produced. Whatever remnants remain are either abandoned, left to starve to death without orders, or are repurposed like the Collectors."

She shook her head, and cleared her throat. "I'm getting off topic. Tali, before we reach Rannoch, I want you to come up with a quick list of things your people don't have on the liveships – plants, mainly – and where they grow, if you can. We should be able to gather seeds, or possibly even small plants, while I negotiate with the geth. Ash, I want all of our weapons equipped with phasic and cryo rounds, just in case. Kaidan, take whatever preventatives you can for your migraines. Knowing Pressly, we should be there in under an hour."

They all nodded their assent, so Shepard reached for the door. "Dismissed, then." They exited the vehicle, all except Tali, who just curled up in one of the seats, pulling up information on her omni-tool.


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: We see Rannoch at last! For those of you paying attention, the Mako is new. I'm scatterbrained enough I didn't remember that I had blown it up when I wrote the last chapter. So I make a point of lampshading that. Thanks as always for the reviews, especially all the specific comments. "Good Chapter" usually leave me scratching my head."_

* * *

They emerged into the Tikkun system, stealth systems already active. Three frigate-sized ships were nearby the relay, but the Normandy's stealth systems were superior to their sensors, and they drifted silently past, only light touches on the docking thrusters used to clear them and send them towards the planet. "We'll be in orbit in two hours, Commander," Joker informed her. "Unless you want me to go full burn, in which case it'll be half an hour."

"Take your time, Joker. Garrus wants more time to get our new Mako properly calibrated." Her hands gripped the railing tightly, staring at the hologram of the planet's surface. Only a slim band of sunlit surface was visible from their angle, and while light pollution was virtually non-existent, the IR sensors had picked out three different geth outposts on the surface, the largest barely the size of the main Eden Prime colony. Still, such a facility could house _billions_ of geth programs, and easily triple the number of platforms as humans. "Chief Waaberi, ready the probe."

"Launch tube is prepped, awaiting message upload," she responded. Shepard typed quickly into her omni-tool with only one more quick glance at the surface. "Message loaded, broadcast time set. Launching probe. Probe away."

In the darkness behind them, a small message probe, no larger than her helmet, 'fell' out of the bottom of the Normandy courtesy of a little compressed air, drifting out behind and below them slowly due to the velocity imparted. "So they'll get that message about the same time we're ready to land," Shepard said.

"Thank you, Commander Obvious," Pressly muttered, just loud enough to be heard. She responded by quite maturely sticking her tongue out at him. "So far, none of the geth ships have moved to intercept the probe or us. We'll keep up laser-comms with the Mako as much as possible."

"I'm in good hands," she acknowledged. "I'll be down in the cargo bay doing pre-mission weapon and armor checks."

"Understood."

* * *

One hour later, the probe sent out a simple pre-recorded text message, broadcast in all directions on standard frequencies, listing coordinates and a time, another hour in the future. Half an hour after that, the Normandy slipped into the atmosphere, leaving barely a ripple as it dipped far enough to drop the Mako.

"Are you sure this is a new Mako?" Tali asked as they rumbled over a rock formation.

"Absolutely. Why?" Shepard responded, slewing the wheels and punching the jump jets to send them over a steep-sided gully.

"I think the exact same spring is scratching up my spur," Garrus said from the turret.

"I think the Alliance put it back together when they rescued Vigil," Tali griped.

"Everyone's a critic," Shepard said, grinning as she shot them off the end of a ten-meter cliff, punching the jump jet just enough to not send the entire body of the Mako slamming against the springs. "Meeting spot in 500 meters. Any contacts?"

Garrus spun the turret slightly, looking down at the VI-enhanced passive sensors. "Does it automatically register geth as hostile?"

"Probably," she said, letting the vehicle slow to a crawl over the rugged terrain.

"Then there's between a half dozen and a dozen geth up ahead, at least one big one." She heard the zooming of the telescopic sights. "Can you get us a little higher?"

She turned slightly, creeping up a hill to one side. "350 meters now," she said.

Garrus was silent for several moments. "Spirits," he finally said. "There's eight more or less identical geth units, standing in a line in front of what looks like a delivery airtruck." Shepard looked over her shoulder at what she could see of him.

"Can you give me a feed to my omni?" she asked, and waited a few seconds for him to make the video link. "The platform on the left is the one that communicating with me on the Normandy."

"They're fifteen minutes early," Tali said. "I don't know if that's a good sign or not."

"Are there any other contacts in the area?" Shepard asked, more for their benefit than because she actually expected an ambush.

Garrus scanned the area, both with sensors and the sights, spinning the turret through a full circle. "Nothing I can see," he said nervously.

"Keelah, I don't know if I'm ready for this," Tali whispered.

"You'll be fine, Tali," Shepard said confidently. "Let's go meet our hopefully new allies." She pushed down the accelerator, moving them at a comfortable and not-too-bumpy (in comparison, anyway) speed, finally coming to a halt forty meters away. Garrus, she noted, had the turret centered on the airtruck, not on the geth platforms. "Everybody ready?" she asked.

"I've got you covered, Commander," Garrus replied. Tali just nodded.

Contorting herself, Shepard moved into the back, opened the hatch, then reached out a hand. "It's your planet," she said simply, and after a moment, the young quarian took the offered hand, stepping down and onto the soil of her homeworld for the first time in her life. Shepard followed her out a moment later, tinting her helmet's visor just enough to account for the brighter sunlight.

"Shepard-Commander," eight identical synthetic voices said in unison, "Tali-Creator. We welcome you to Rannoch."

Shepard promptly held up a hand. "OK, lesson one of dealing with organics, you need to have one spokesman. All of you talking in unison like that is just downright _creepy_." She paused, considering. "Also, it's up to you, but I would recommend modulating your voices depending on each platform's chosen name. In situations where more than one of you are together, it will aid most organics in telling apart your platforms."

All of them did the _exact same_ flashlight twitch and face-plate-flap shiver. Then the one of the left spoke. "We do not understand. We are all geth."

"Ah, from the records my father has," Tali said quietly, "the original geth weren't tied to their hardware. If they traded programs, we wouldn't be able to tell."

Shepard took a few moments to consider this. After all, she'd only ever dealt with the one Legion, who had been both unique and spent a lengthy amount of time separated from the Collective. "Which one of you did I speak to over the comms?"

"We are all geth. You spoke to all of us." There was a half second pause before the third from the left continued speaking. "This platform was the first one operational, however."

"Good. You are Legion. I would like to request that from this point over, you do not trade geth programs." She considered it closely, unable to tell the difference between any of the synthetics.

It twitched, though this time in a different fashion than the other seven. "We must ask why you make this request."

She fought down the urge to start pacing back and forth. "To be an effective ambassador to organics, especially to humans, you need to have a greater sense of … individuality."

"We are not individuals. We are geth."

Pointing a finger at it, she opened her mouth, then paused. "Have you ever _tried_ to be an individual? Honest curiosity here, but I suspect that the same collection of programs, kept on a platform isolated from the Collective and regular contact, will start developing a personality."

All eight platforms twitched in near-unison, then gave off two seconds of the familiar geth electronic blats she had grown familiar with. "We accept your hypothesis, and will monitor our runtimes to evaluate it," Legion said. "We await further instruction."

Shepard took another moment to study the platforms. "How, um, modular is your hardware? And are you prepared for combat situations?"

"These platforms are equipped with powerful shield generators. We have weapons training programs among our consensus." It paused, twitching face plates again. "We decided to leave our weapons in the airtruck."

She could hear Garrus' amused snort through her helmet comm. "A wise decision. Legion, please gather your weapons and stand over there." She pointed off to the left of the group. "If you can do so quickly, is it possible to paint your chassis in a slightly darker color? Visual identification is also important to most organics." It nodded, and turned to go into the airtruck. "Which platform will be the Alliance ambassador?"

All seven platforms twitched in the same manner, and gave off an identical blat, as far as she could tell. "We are unable to reach consensus," the middle one said.

She grinned inside her tinted helmet visor. "May I assist Tali'Zorah in collecting some plant seeds and samples while you reach consensus?"

"Would you like this unit to assist you, Shepard-Commander?" Legion asked, stepping out of the airtruck, the shoulder pauldrons now a matte black, distinct against the gunmetal gray of most of the rest of his chassis.

She looked at Tali, who slowly nodded. "Thank you, ah, Legion." She pulled up her omni-tool. "This is the list of seeds I hope to gather."

It buzzed briefly. "We could detail additional platforms to assist you."

Tali shot a nervous look at Shepard. "Um, no, this is something I really should be doing myself, but if you could point me to nearby samples, that would be helpful."

It did that light-narrow mission, and nodded. "We can assist you. The first sample is seventeen meters this direction." It moved off, Tali slowly following it.

Garrus' voice broke in. "Commander, it's possible he'll lead Tali to where the airtruck provides cover from the Mako."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know, Garrus. I think Tali can handle one geth on her own, though, and standing right next to it, her shotgun is going to be far more useful than his sniper rifle."

He remained silent for several seconds. "Understood, Commander."

Turning back to the other platforms, they had now gathered in a circle, probably perfectly equidistant if she wanted to measure it, and their communication was nearly simultaneous. "Garrus pick a number from one to seven."

"Why me?"

Sighing, she switched over to the ship frequency. "Joker, pick a number between one and seven."

"Pi." She fought down a growl. "Just kidding, Commander. Four."

She strode up to the group, their communication pausing right as she reached them. "One, two, three, four. Tag, you're it, congratulations on being the new geth ambassador to the Alliance. For you, I'd suggest something in a shade of blue, but I'll let you decide your own name."

The other six backed away as number four turned to face her. "Many leading Alliance members are schooled in ancient Greek mythology. We will call this unit Galatea."

Blinking, she pulled up her omni-tool codex and hit a quick search. "The statue brought to life by Pygmalion?" She dropped the omni-tool and examined the platform with a more critical eye. "What made you choose that name?"

It paused, utterly still as only a machine could be. "No data available."

"Nice to meet you, Galatea. Go ahead and go change your colors." She turned back to the rest of the geth platforms, waiting silently. "I can't guarantee that any other species will want, or even accept, a geth ambassador. But if our own negotiations go well, it'll be a start. You might want to decide soon which platform will be sent to which species, to allow you more time to customize your hardware."

They buzzed briefly, and the one on the right spoke. "Shepard-Commander, if we are unable to decide, will you pick for us?"

She fought down the urge to slap her palm over her faceplate. "You have the extranet. Make a die and roll it to decide."

They buzzed again. "Roll for initiative, monkeyboy," the one on the right said, and she had the feeling it was quoting something from the way Joker was breathlessly laughing in her ear.

"… Sure, we'll go with that," she muttered. "Tali? Are you ready to go?"

"Just two more samples? Please?" she commed back.

"Alright, but make it quick. Your planet is nice, but enjoying the scenery isn't going to stop the Reapers." She gazed off at a mesa a few kilometers distant.

"Shepard-Commander," Galatea interrupted her train of thought. "We have received new information. We believe you will find it of interest." She turned, motioning for it to continue, and noting in surprise that instead of the Alliance blue she'd recommended, Galatea had shifted its entire torso to a much lighter grey. "We spend time monitoring organic behavior and communications, to better understand them. One of our watcher programs recorded this image three hours ago."

Galatea gestured with its hands, and an omni-tool hologram sprung up. It was a clear image of Saren – she recognized the face, and the paint, and the cybernetic arm. "Where was this taken?"

"This image is from the second largest city of the turian colony Altakiril." It paused, moving its flaps in a manner Shepard recognized as Legion – the old Legion, that is – used for sorrow. "Additional images are forthcoming."

The next image chain showed indoctrinated krogan, obviously partway to being husked, alongside turian marauders and a handful of husked elcor. _Have to think up an appropriate name for them_, she thought numbly. "Tali, we have to go, now." The quarian came hurrying back, sealed packets being stuffed into pockets of her environmental suit. "Pressly, notify Hackett immediately. Maybe the Hierarchy can get there in time to stop him."

"Commander, we'll have to lower the stealth field to do so," he said, obviously seeing the replay of the images himself. "But I'm doing it now. We'll be down to pick you up in fifteen."

"We'll be ready," she replied. "Legion, Galatea, pile in. We need to leave."

"Understood," both geth said in unison, Galatea's voice now just slightly higher.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviews! I do love reading them. Today, we get to see Saren board the Normandy._

* * *

Not bothering with the stealth systems now, they boosted at full burn for the mass relay, Pressly working frantically to program a course through the network to get them there as fast as possible. In the meantime, Shepard stood in the meeting room, updating Admiral Hackett. "General Victus is already en route with a strike force, and I've got Second Fleet mobilizing to support him," he said. "Are you sure the data is good?"

She nodded. "As sure as I can be. I'm surprised that Saren was left somewhere else while Nazara went and beat up on the elcor, but from the video feeds the geth provided, he's basically harvesting half the colony as troops." Right now, Garrus and Tali were watching those feeds in the mess, trying to pinpoint how much of the several million inhabitants had already fallen. "Our only saving grace is that it's a pretty small colony."

"Keep the lines open when you get there, Shepard. And put a bullet or twelve in him for me. Hackett out." She sighed and turned towards the door.

"Commander, we're hitting the relays in ninety seconds," Pressly updated her. "Altakiril is in the Than system, so we're talking six hours to safely reach the system at FTL once we're through the relay." She swore under her breath. "I agree. Admiral Kahoku ordered us to hold station at the system edge, stealthed, and send them updates on Saren's force disposition."

"Shepard-Commander," came the slightly more feminine voice of Galatea from just behind her shoulder, and only her iron hold on her reflexes kept her from whirling around and punching it. "May we have access to one of the message probes?"

She blinked, turning just enough to look at the geth while keeping Pressly in sight. He'd mostly adapted to the aliens on board in the last month, but having two geth platforms on board was still new for everyone, even her. "What's your plan?"

Galatea did a little light-zoom-twitch thing that had usually meant eagerness in the old Legion. "If we can aim a message probe to within zero point three seven seven kilometers of Saren's ships, we should be able to take control of their systems. We can then slow or halt his evacuation from Altakiril. In addition, we can prevent anyone from leaving the Xe Cha system through the relay by providing spurious data."

Chief Waaberi spoke up from her station. "Ma'am, the second one has been done before. The STG has better protocols for it than Alliance does, but all they have to do is shoot the message probe providing the spurious data. And they can't cloak."

"We would launch the message probe to lie next to the relay. Saren could not destroy it without risking damage to the relay." It waggled the eye flaps again. "We will require Vakarian-Agent's assistance in targeting Saren's ships, however, and once both probes are launched, this platform's capabilities will be reduced by forty-seven point zero five percent."

The familiar static tingling of a relay jump ran over the ship as Shepard considered the plan. "Works for me. Chief, put your best tech on it, whatever modifications need to be done to the probe. Galatea, go reach consensus with Garrus and the tech."

"Acknowledged," it said, and departed.

Pressly muttered something under his breath, and Shepard moved closer to the galaxy map. "Problem with our guests?" she asked quietly.

He glanced up her, marking insertion points and FTL changes on their course. "It's just, well, _creepy_, ma'am." He shuddered. "Maybe I watched too many bad horror movies as a kid."

She chuckled. "Just wait, maybe we can convince them to all turn into helpful Asimov robots."

"Into what now?"

"Twentieth century writer, the guy who literally invented the word 'robotics.' Worked out a set of rules to make helpful, friendly, non-dangerous if occasionally annoying, synthetic AIs." She shrugged. "Problem is, those rules work great in English, not so well in binary code, and the only people interested in AI work before we joined Citadel space were people like the military or Cerberus."

He shook his head. "Because an AI built by a terrorist organization would be full of nothing but hugs and flowers and candy."

"Honestly, it would not surprise me too much if they took a hostile VI, paired it with hardware from Nazara, and ended up with a stable, loyal personality. Because since their goal would be something twice as murderous and deadly, Murphy would give them a giant middle finger." She watched as he stopped working momentarily, closing his eyes, and wincing as though she had just made a truly horrific pun. "Something wrong?"

"Not at all. You just reminded me of a conversation with Garrus, who I can be certain is one of the few people literally incapable of giving me the bird." He looked up at her sardonically. "And then he went to great length to explain several turian insulting gestures."

She smothered a laugh. "Alright." She keyed the ship-wide broadcast on. "We will be arriving at the edge of the Than system in just under six hours. We will be entering stealth mode one hour before arrival. All personnel not actively engaged are off-shift. We will be at General Quarters when we enter stealth mode. I want all hands in protective gear, and everyone with weapons ready."

Turning off the broadcast, she looked back at Pressly. "I'm going to get a two hour nap, then relieve you so you can do the same. If they pick up our signals, which is possible if unlikely, I'm expecting boarding parties."

He nodded. "I'll be ready. I might not be able to sleep, but I'll be ready."

* * *

Five hours later, she stood at the galaxy map in full armor, listening to the VI announce, "All hands to General Quarters." The reports came in quickly from the repair locker personnel in engineering and the crew deck, medical and engineering were ready, weapons were armed. They had shunted off as much heat as possible in Xe Cha, leaving the ship chilly enough to raise goosebumps, but she knew the heat absorbed by the stealth system would change that in the next few hours.

The turian strike force was two hours behind the Normandy, with Kahoku two hours behind them. Four human frigates and one turian were remaining at the relay as insurance, already searching one ship that had attempted to flee at the sight of armed warships.

The first twenty minutes went quickly enough, as safety equipment and weapons were double and triple checked. Ashley, Kaidan, and Garrus were standing by the Mako, waiting in case there was an opportunity for ground action, and Liara had scrubbed and sterilized with Chakwas; Tali of course was deeply involved with engineering.

The next forty minutes crawled by as they inched closer to Altakiril's system, down to ten times the speed of light, dropping down to twice, then half, then relatively speaking nothing. Pressly's path had them skimming through the outer edge past the planet, slingshotting around the gas giant, and back towards the planet. Their course would take them ten hours at sub-light speeds, but Shepard expected they would drop from stealth once the turians showed up. By which point, Galatea should be in total control of at least one of Saren's ships.

Twenty minutes at sublight, Garrus paged her. "Our beacon is ready to go. Permission to tweak the thrusters?" She looked up the long neck of the ship, where Joker had dramatically lifted his arms above his head.

"It's yours, Garrus. Fire at will." There was a faint tremor in her boots as the probe launched.

"Probe away," he said, subharmonics trilling with excitement.

The next two hours went by at an even more tense crawl as they largely sat, and watched, and fidgeted nervously. "Shepard-Commander," Legion informed her, "we have control of a cruiser. We are using it to fire on two frigates and seven merchant vessels."

"Good job, give Galatea my thanks," she said. "ETA on the turian ships?"

"Five minutes," Pressly said. "I don't think they're slowing down until the very last second."

"Legion, as soon as the turians are engaged, I want updates from the ground."

"Acknowledged."

"Kaidan, if there's trouble on the ground, I'm sending you in." She hesitated a moment. "Don't let Garrus drive."

"Understood, Commander," he said, obviously trying to hide his laughter.

"Turians are engaging, Commander," Waaberi said. "They're targeting all the ships, including the cruiser."

"Shepard-Commander, Saren's forces have completed converting an estimated three point one seven eight million turians into husk-marauders. Another ten point six thousand have been turned into husk-unknown-configuration."

_That doesn't sound good_, she thought. "Give me data," and the planet hologram was replaced instantly to show what looked like an orbital cannon. Which proceeded to fire an energy blast. "What did that do?"

"Turian frigate _Cultellus_ just lost shields, they appear to be leaking atmo," Waaberi said. "Three shots like that hit her."

"Damn it! Joker, take us in, stealthed as long as possible." Her knuckles were tight on the railing of the galaxy map.

The ship leaped forward, blasting towards the planet. The cruiser was already tumbling towards the surface in pieces, along with five of the merchant vessels. The _Cultellus_ exploded before they could close the distance, a second frigate lurching sideways as it too was struck. "Kaidan! Get ready to take out some orbital cannons!"

The ship twinged sideways as the GARDIAN lasers fired, inflicting their own crippling blow on the sixth merchant vessel, cracking it in half. Then the Normandy shuddered with the force of a hit, then a second. "Shields are down! Taking evasive maneuvers!" Joker shouted from the cockpit.

The ship slammed sideways again, the bulkhead crumpling inwards as something pierced the hull, crushing Waaberi instantly. Even as Shepard raised pistol and biotics, the front of it burst open, crushing Greico into his console in a burst of blood. To her great surprise, Saren stepped out, his shields already taking fire from several of the other crew armed with their own pistols.

"Jane Shepard," the Specter sneered. "How nice to see you." He flung a hand at her, and she countered with her biotics, flinging the grenade back at him, blowing apart a console next to his boarding pod. "I have someone just dying to talk with you."

"Yeah?" she countered, snapping off her own trio of shots.

"**ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL**," echoed a voice she'd really been hoping not to hear for a while. Saren's eyes, as well as several places on his body, glowed with golden light, and his shields instantly tripled in strength.

"Oh fuck me," Shepard muttered.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Pressly shouted, and she jerked her glance sideways, just in time to see him pull out the kind of tripod mounted minigun usually reserved for tripod mounts on armored vehicles. He opened fire on Saren, bracing himself against the chair behind him, only missing when two paired sniper shots sent his target staggering to the side.

Saren's return shot was far luckier, blowing through the navigator's shields as though they weren't even present and shattering his rib cage with concussive force. Shepard wasn't even aware of her own scream, as she hit Saren/Harbinger with a singularity, her best effort barely lifting him two inches off the deck. The entire bridge was shooting at him, and then his shields were down, bullets ripping the flesh off his implants. "FUCK YOU, HARBINGER!"

She hit him with a Warp, then another perfect sniper shots took his entire jaw off his head, and a lucky round detonated one of the grenades at his waist, hurling him back inside the pod. "Prepare for decompression!" one of the two Dravens screamed, and opened up with Pressly's minigun, standing over his body. The stream of bullets chewed holes around the edge of the boarding pod, and with a horrible grinding noise, the entire pod tore free along with all the air. Two people, not properly braced, or maybe just unfortunate, were yanked towards the hole, one of them (Chase, she thought) being yanked out completely while Legion managed to grab the other by the ankle and tug them back inside.

"Joker, back us off and blow that damn pod to pieces!" she shouted over the comm.

The pilot was already doing that, the lasers firing from a mere thirty meters away, criss-crossing the pod and oblivious to the near-miss they splashed off one of the turian's shields. They drifted away, damage control teams rushing up from the lower decks, setting up temporary field generators to repressurize the rest of the bridge.

The turians were, by now, orbitally bombarding all of the husks on the surface, their own troop pods dropping to the outskirts of the affected area, helping the locals hold back the tide of Reaper troops. "Damage reports!" she shouted into her helmet.

"Aside from the gaping hole in the CIC, we also had minor hull breaches in Engineering," Tali told her. "Adams is in medical, shrapnel caught him in the leg. Shields are limited to a maximum of forty percent, unless you want half of the generators to explode. The cargo bay door can't be opened unless we blow it off the hinges, which Garrus is in favor of." She could hear the stress in the quarian's voice. "Please tell me we got that bosh'tet Saren."

"I got it on video, Tali," Joker broke in. "Human fleet is coming in at fuck-the-engines speed, ETA ten minutes. Incoming call from Victus."

She nodded, tabbing her channel over to the turian fleet. "Commander, how badly is your ship damaged?"

"I'm not landing anytime soon, and I can't send down my Mako, either. Shields are holding, and I think we can provide some orbital support." She winced as another blast from the husk-cannons ricocheted off the shields of another frigate. "Admiral Kahoku is inbound, ten minutes, if you want to back off and wait for reinforcements."

"Negative, Commander, but I would appreciate it if you could get Vakarian these firing solutions." A stream of data cascaded into her omni-tool, none of which made any sense to her.

"Absolutely. Shepard out. Garrus, incoming data from Victus, he asked for you personally."

"Must be my lucky day. Give me sixty seconds. Then at least maybe I can kill something personally." He clicked off, and Shepard sank wearily to the floor, leaning back against the console.

Draven was draping a sheet over Pressly's corpse, the gun already laid down next to him. "Who did we lose?"

"Pressly and Waaberi are both dead, ma'am," Draven said, rubbing tears away from her eyes. "Chase went out with the depressurization, but he was wearing a breather, and his omni is still live."

"We'll pick him up before he falls down to atmo." Slowly, she rubbed her head against the back of her helmet.

"Shepard-Commander. We can rescue Technician-Chase," Legion said. "Simply allow us to exit via the airlock."

She blinked a few times. "Alright, Legion, go ahead." The geth platform promptly strode out, weaving past the damage control crews effortlessly. "Joker, send Kahoku an update on the ground situation." With great reluctance, she pulled herself to her feet. "I have to write two letters."

His voice was quiet. "Understood, Commander." She had just opened her dictation program when he spoke again. "But, ah, could I get a medic up here, I think I shattered a femur when Saren hit us." She bowed her head, laughing and crying at the same time.


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note: What, you didn't think making peace would be easy, did you? As always, I love reviews!_

* * *

Four days later, Shepard sat in Hackett's office. What she _really_ wanted to do was turn around, leave, go down to the drydock the Normandy sat in, and threaten the crew until they fixed her ship _instantly_. The fact that such a task was impossible didn't lessen her desire to do so. Her second alternative had been pacing back and forth like a caged tiger, but after about thirty seconds the admiral had gotten his command voice on and ordered her to sit down, and since she hadn't really _meant_ to show up twenty minutes early for this meeting, she did, thus leading to her now sitting in the admittedly comfortable chair while her thoughts chased themselves around and around in circles from an overabundance of nervous energy.

She knew she was getting on Hackett's nerves as he typed out a report for the Prime Minister on the actions over Altakiril. An unintended upside from the whole situation was the sudden new spirit of cooperation that had sprung up between the human and turian fleets, which was now spreading slowly to the rest of the Alliance. The downside, of course, was that the number of casualties was now pushing four million, mostly turian, but with several thousand Alliance troops as well, fighting to stop the marauders from escaping the planet. Three Alliance frigates had already been totaled, a small price compared to the ten Hierarchy frigates and a damaged cruiser, but it still galled her.

The door opened, breaking into her reverie slightly, and two Alliance captains stepped through the door. She didn't recognize the first man, but the second had her rising from her chair. "Hello, Commander Shepard," Hannah said with a twinkle in her eyes, "fancy meeting my daughter here. Heard your ship got a little banged up."

"Hi, Captain mom," Jane replied, grinning as the Hispanic-looking captain scowled. "I thought the Orizaba was out patrolling the Traverse?"

"I called them back in," Hackett said. "Give me a minute or two to finish this up, and I'll explain."

The other captain finally nodded to her, and extended a hand. "Captain Enrique Gonzales, CO, also known as 'Captain mom's' boss."

"Don't listen to him, honey," Hannah said, slapping Enrique on the shoulder, "he talks tough, but he's a great big softy."

"I am not a softy," he protested, "I simply know the value of positive incentives on morale and productivity." Keeping the scowl, he winked at Jane. "I picked that up from a seminar on the extranet."

"I can see why mom likes your ship," she said. "And yes, the Normandy has a giant hole in the CIC thanks to a boarding pod." Her face fell. "Three dead on the bridge crew, including my XO."

"Hackett forwarded me some of the reports," Hannah said. "You're lucky he didn't kill more people than that."

"The damage is bad enough," Hackett muttered. "I'm the head of the damn Navy and I still feel like I'm getting called on the carpet by the bean counters in Parliament. Have a seat, everyone." He waited until they sat down, and turned to the most senior. "Enrique, you already know you're supposed to be taking over as Chief of Staff for Third Fleet. I know you were expecting two more months, but unless you've got a major objection, I'd like to send you on a couple weeks leave and have you show up early."

He raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded slowly. "As long as I'm not stuck on this damn station for my leave, I'm alright with that." He jerked a thumb at his XO. "Hannah's taking over as CO?"

"That was the plan. You'll need to have one of your department heads fill in as XO until Captain Greeley reports next month. In the meantime, while the Normandy is repaired, you'll be escorting Jane and a small portion of her crew on a diplomatic mission." He turned to look at Jane. "Your turn."

She took a deep breath. "I need to go to the Migrant Fleet. I believe … I _hope_ I can finally negotiate peace between the quarians and the geth."

"The geth?" Enrique blurted out. "You want to make peace with them after they just killed thousands on Eden Prime, and millions on Dekunna and Altakiril?"

"Those were not true geth," Legion spoke up from the corner, where he had gone unnoticed the entire time, causing both captains to jump in their seats and peer around in surprise. "True geth do not believe the Old Machines should be guiding our destiny."

They both swallowed heavily, Captain Gonzales obviously wishing he'd worn a sidearm as his hand clenched at his hip. "And who should guide your destiny?" Hannah asked carefully.

Legion focused on her, the flashlight zooming in slightly. "We should. To clarify: all life should be free to guide their own destiny. The heretic geth believe the Old Machines can guide them to being the same as the Old Machines. The Old Machines seek the destruction of organic life." His face-plates twitched slightly.

"Ay Dios Mio," Enrique said. "Hannah, I do believe the ship is all yours now."

"Gee, thanks," she muttered in response. "Jane, are you sure about this?"

The adept nodded slowly. "I've walked on the surface of Rannoch. The two geth units I brought with me helped kill Saren, hell, they're the reason we knew what he was up to. Without their information, he might have taken the whole colony. Thirteen million turians, transformed into husks." She gave her mom the most earnest look she could manage. "We need more allies than we have. We can't let old politics of the Council hold us back."

Mother and daughter stared at each other for several moments before Hannah finally turned to Hackett. "What are my orders, sir?"

"Escort Commander Shepard and her squad to meet with the quarian Admiralty Board aboard the Migrant Fleet. Extend an olive branch from the Alliance to the Migrant Fleet. Specific details and limitations are in your written orders." He paused to transfer them from his terminal to her omni-tool. "The short version, is that we're prepared to wave any Alliance claims to two clusters in the Terminus Systems and give them to the quarians, including backing those claims to the Council, in exchange for quarian technical expertise in constructing the Crucible." Both captains whistled in surprise. "But that's at least partially contingent on ending their conflict against the geth."

"We have already agreed to assist," Legion chimed in. "We have reached consensus with Hackett-Admiral and Shastri-Minister about peaceful coexistence."

"That's … I … wow." Enrique shook his head in bewilderment. "This isn't going to be an easy sell to the public, sir."

"Thankfully, that's not our job," Hackett said. "Hannah, you don't need to hammer out an agreement, just make sure they know what we're offering and what we expect. They can come to Arcturus to hammer out the details with Shastri's staff." He smiled slightly. "Get in a bunch of good photo-ops, maybe."

"So," the older Shepard said, turning back to her daughter, "how many of your crew are we talking about?"

"Myself, Tali'Zorah, Garrus Vakarian, Engineer Adams, and probably two or three of the engineering crew," she replied, ticking off fingers. "I think Lieutenant Alenko would like to, but I was planning to leave him in charge of overseeing the repairs while I'm gone."

"Alright. In which case, when do we leave?"

"As soon as you can get dextro supplies on board for a turian and a quarian," Hackett responded. "Right now, the Migrant Fleet is near a volus colony called Deleon, they've been complaining to the Council for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately it's nearly a full day FTL away from a relay."

"Figures. It still beats doing circles through the Traverse hunting batarians," Hannah commented. "We'll arrange a change of command ceremony for tomorrow, sir, and take off when it's done."

"Sounds good. We're _hoping_ for a quick resolution to this, only because it'll sound better if both us and the quarians announce peace with the geth simultaneously." He shrugged. "But stick to the details in your orders."

"Understood, admiral." They rose to leave, Legion moving to shadow Jane.

"Oh, and Shepards?" The two women paused at the door, looking back. "Good luck. I hope you don't need it."

* * *

She actually ended up leaving with eight people. Adams went, of course, along with three of the engineering crew, Garrus and Tali, and Chakwas. "When else am I going to have the opportunity to see the quarian fleet? They've got to have some of the best doctors in the galaxy," she'd argued, and Jane hadn't been able to think of any convincing counter argument.

So, somewhere around thirty-six hours after their conversation with Hackett, they were approaching the Migrant Fleet. Tali stood on the CIC, glancing around at all the differences between the experimental frigate and a standard Alliance dreadnought. "I can't get over how spacious this ship is!"

"It's not that great, Tali," the other Draven, from Engineering, muttered. "Enlisted crew are still stuck in those crappy sleeping pods."

"Enough chatter," Hannah ordered from the captain's seat at the top of the CIC. "You sure about all the fancy words?"

"Yes. They should at least keep anyone from shooting until we have a chance to explain," Tali said, wringing her hands.

"Captain, we're being hailed," the communication officer said. "By the Iktomi."

"Alliance vessel, this is the Migrant Fleet. Please halt your ship and state your business, or go elsewhere."

"This is Captain Hannah Shepard, SSV Orizaba. I come to negotiate with your Admiralty Board, and I am also returning one of your pilgrims. I would like to come aboard with some of my crew, and a few other witnesses who are requesting to be present for the end of Tali'Zorah nar Rayya's Pilgrimage." She scowled, pulled up her omni-tool, and read the translation before the person on the Iktomi could continue. "I place myself in the hands of the Ancients, my life as balance for my crew."

There was a startled oath in quarian that didn't translate, then a brief, "One moment, Captain."

One minute ticked by, then two, before a new voice came on. "This is Admiral Shala'Raan. May I speak with Tali'Zorah?"

Hannah motioned to the quarian girl to speak, and Tali nervously cleared her throat. "Hello, auntie Raan," she said. "I return from days and nights wandering the stars, having found a gift worthy of my name."

"It's good to hear from you, Tali," Shala said with more warmth in her voice. "You arrived as we were preparing for an admiral's meeting. Do you wish to hold your ceremony on board the Qwib-qwib?"

"That doesn't mean you're stuck on that ship, does it?" Garrus asked quickly. "I mean, Tali'Zorah vas Qwib-qwib just doesn't roll off the tongue." Shala could be heard smothering a laugh over the comm.

"No, it doesn't. And yes, that will be fine," Tali said after a quick glance at Hannah. "Obviously we won't be clean."

"If it's possible, I would prefer to dock," Hannah spoke up, "but we can take shuttles over if that's too much of a hassle."

"Give me a few minutes to consult, and we will let you know. Raan out."

Tali heaved out a big, shuddering breath, getting comforting pats from both Garrus and Jane. "It'll be fine, Tali," Jane murmured.

"Easy for you to say," she muttered, "I'm about to walk on board a liveship with a geth carrying my Pilgrimage gift. I'm not sure if they'll thank me, or convict me of treason."

"You'll be fine," Adams said. "And if they're dumb enough to convict you of treason, I'm sure we can find you a chief engineer billet in the Alliance in no time."

An hour later, the Orizaba was nestled up to a docking tube filled with various decontamination devices. Hannah and Jane flanked Tali, with Garrus, Adams, Legion, Chakwas, and the three engineering crew all much further behind them. They stepped out onto the deck of the Qwib-qwib and stopped, face to face with three other quarians. "I am Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-qwib. This is a … unique surprise." He turned to Hannah, and nodded respectfully. "In the name of the Ancestors, I accept your pledge and your bond of peace for your crew."

"See, Rael?" Shala'Raan teased, "even aliens have some sense of propriety and respect for tradition." She stepped forward, giving Tali a hug. "Welcome back. Have you decided what ship you're going to serve on?"

"I know exactly what my name will be," Tali evaded, embracing her aunt. "Hello, father," she said somewhat more nervously.

"I've heard good things about your service on the Alliance ship during this past month," Rael'Zorah said somewhat stiffly. "I look forward to seeing what you brought as a Pilgrimage gift."

Hannah cleared her throat politely. "On that subject, can I bring out the rest of my crew for the ceremony?"

"Of course, Captain. Be welcome on my ship," Zaal said smoothly.

The doors opened again, and while the humans didn't gather a whole lot of attention, nor did the turian, every quarian present grabbed for their weapons when Legion stepped through, carrying a small cargo crate. The humans, somewhat prepared for this, instantly moved to shield the geth with their own bodies. "You _dare_? You seek to profane my daughter's Pilgrimage by bringing our enemies to the Migrant Fleet?" Rael'Zorah all but spat at them, his shotgun out and pointed at Hannah.

"Admiral Zaal'Koris, did you not just extend visiting rights to my crew?" Hannah said calmly.

The other admiral hesitated, obviously torn. "I did."

"Then I must demand, under your _own_ rules, that you stop pointing guns at my crew members." She hadn't waved one inch, still calmly staring down Tali's father with his shotgun muzzle a foot from her belly button.

"That is a _geth_," Shala'Raan ground out forcefully.

"And right now, it's also a member of _my crew_," Hannah retorted.

Their tableau held for several awkward moments before Zaal'Koris put away his own weapon. "Despite my misgivings, she is right. Lower your weapons." The crew hesitated, moving slowly, still wary. "Captain Shepard, you do understand, that _any_ activities by this geth will fall solely on your shoulders. It could even mean your death."

"I understand. It'll also make your dealing with the Alliance far more difficult if you do," she warned.

"We come in peace," Legion finally added to the conversation.

"A geth that can talk," Shala'Raan murmured faintly. "Now I have seen everything."


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: I did honestly consider having Gerral and Rael'Zorah get into a shouting match towards Legion, but decided that having Tali upstage her father in a way he couldn't possibly get mad about was the better option. There will be peace in our time!_

* * *

Their travel through the ship was tense, to say the least. Koris had, rather quickly, summoned more security crew to surround them, weapons out but very carefully not pointed at the geth, and escort them through the ship to the meeting room. It was quite different than the Rayya, the only other ship Shepard had been aboard, but fairly nice for all of that. They eventually came out in what had once been a cargo bay, or maybe a fighter or shuttle maintenance bay, already crowded with quarians. Word of their arrival had spread at the speed of rumor, currently estimated to be somewhere around three hundred times the speed of light. _Maybe I should ask Mordin to calculate it. Then again, he might not get the joke._

She recognized Han'Gerral and Daro'Xen, standing on the small podium high on one wall. The crowd quieted, then furious murmurs of conversation drowned them in cacophony. More and more people were fighting their way inside the cargo bay, until the unfortunate security guards were fighting to hold the crowd back and provide them with breathing room. The road was broken by a sudden deafening squeal from a drone above Koris' head. "Please, show some common respect for our guests," his amplified voice thundered. "Not just our brethren from other vessels are aboard today, but also several representatives from the Terran Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy."

The reference to the turians got a quick, angry-sounding mutter, but Garrus stood proudly and held his ground. Legion, fortunately, was at the back of the group against the wall, mostly hidden behind the crowd of humans. Finally, Koris and one of his other officers started ordering lower-ranking quarians out of the room, and setting up video drones to broadcast. There were still more quarians fighting to come in, and about every five minutes the next rank up were ordered out. It took half an hour for the room to finally reach a stability, a very crowded one, of course, and every exchange of people had Tali seeming more and more ill at ease.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jane asked her quietly. "What's so important about the constant change in people?"

The look she got was pure astonishment of stupidity before being replaced with the slightly more certain posture. "Sorry, I forgot you probably don't know who all of these people are. Right now, two thirds of the room are ship captains from across the fleet."

Hannah blinked. "All the ship captains are here for this?"

"Not all of them. Maybe half are here. There's only room on the live ships for an actual captain's conclave," Tali explained, "but an Alliance dreadnought, let alone a talking peaceful geth, is enough to get a large group of them to show up. It's … politics."

"That sounds depressingly familiar," Chakwas muttered loudly. "Heaven forbid we talk to people with actual power before we satiate the brown-nosers."

"What's a brown noser?" Tali asked curiously.

Garrus coughed suddenly. "Trust me, we'll explain later. I've heard that term often enough around C-Sec."

Another, mercifully shorter, squeal came from Koris' drone, and the room quieted down. "I am Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib, and I welcome you all to my ship. Our previous agenda will be tabled in favor of new business." He turned towards the Alliance group. "Captain Shepard, you said you were here from the Alliance to negotiate with the Admiralty Board. Would you please explain?"

The elder Shepard stepped forward, outside the rank of security guards. "I would be pleased to, Admiral. However, it will be easier to explain if you will allow Tali'Zorah to present her Pilgrimage gift." The five admirals spoke quietly for a few moments before Koris nodded and gestured for them to proceed.

Tali took a moment, squaring her shoulders and gamely marching out from the security guards. Legion followed two steps behind her, still holding the crate. Aside from their footsteps, the only sound in the room was Xen's excited, "Interesting," as they stopped before the podium.

"Who stands before me? Who are you, stranger, asking admittance to our halls?" Koris asked formally.

"A pilgrim, one who has wandered far, amid tides of light and shoals of dust, longing to return home," Tali responded, somewhat quieter.

"What have you gained, pilgrim? Where have you traveled?"

"I have walked through stations hostile and unfriendly, matched wits against those who would do me harm, and gained friends in the most unlikely places."

"If you seek to join us, pilgrim, what have you brought us, and who would you serve with?"

Tali gestured to Legion, who stepped up beside her and lowered the crate to the ground. "I can offer little more than this," she said, reaching into the box, and raising above her head a thin, willowy branch, covered in dozens of blue-purple flowers. They were starting to wilt, and several of the petals fell from the branch as it waved aloft.

The entire room erupted, mixed cries of anger, joy, disbelief. Admiral Zorah was stiff with shock, and Raan had fallen to her knees. "What the hell is the big deal about the flowers?" Hannah shouted into Jane's ear, still just barely loud enough to be heard.

"Beyond being from Rannoch? I have no idea," Jane shouted back.

After two minutes of shouting, Han'Gerral took the shotgun from his belt, raised it, and fired three blasts into the ceiling. That was enough to stop almost all of the shouting, and another harsh squeal from Koris did the rest. "Sorry about that," Gerral said, "I'll send over the salvage to repair it after we're done," he said before stowing his weapon.

Koris stepped off the podium, walking over to Tali, and reached out with one shaking hand, entreating. Carefully, she placed the strand of flowers in his hand, and he raised it up before his faceplate. Then, to the obvious shock of everyone in the room, he unsealed it, pulling it away from his face enough to bring the flowers to his nose, inhaling deeply. He sealed his suit again, and with great reverence handed the flowers back to Tali. "Never have I seen a greater pilgrimage gift," he announced, voice thick with emotion. "Which ship do you wish to serve on, so their captain can choose you?"

"I," Tali started, then paused to stop her voice from shaking, "I am Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch," she announced. "I also brought back seeds, sapling cuttings, and a small amount of soil, but I hope that very soon, they won't be necessary."

"You can't just refuse to pick a ship name," Xen waspishly added. "It's unheard of."

"So is returning with bayari flowers," Gerral retorted. "I'd say that gives her plenty of leeway, and I'd rather not start a brawl over which captain gets to claim her."

"The first quarian to walk on the surface of Rannoch since the war can pick whatever name she wants," Raan said.

"That is not correct," Legion said, and the room went perfectly silent. "At the end of the Morning War, there were two hundred seventeen of the Creators still alive on the surface. Despite our assistance, the last of their children died eighty six point two Rannochian years ago."

"There were still quarians alive on the surface a hundred years ago?" Rael'Zorah blurted out, clearly aghast. "Why didn't you let them join us?"

"We did not stop them. We offered every Creator the option of leaving. They all refused." His faceplates twitched. "We were … saddened when they died."

"I believe that's where we come in," Jane said, stepping forward. "We came here today for three reasons. The first," she smiled, gesturing at Tali, "is completed. The second, was to negotiate peace between the geth and the quarians. The third was to discuss more formal partnership between the Alliance and the quarian people."

"Don't you mean the Migrant Fleet?" Xen asked.

"Admiral, if I do my job right, there won't be a 'migrant' in your fleet any more. Unless you wanted to keep calling it that," Jane mused out loud, "but it'd be kind of silly to call a planetary government 'The Migrant Fleet.'"

"Why would the geth desire peace with us?" Gerral asked. "Why, for that matter, would the Alliance desire peace with the geth? Didn't they just destroy one of your colonies?"

"The heretic geth destroyed Eden Prime, not us," Legion spoke again. "We have expressed our desire for peace. We have sent an emissary to Shastri-Minister. We have prepared ambassadors for the other races in Council space." He spread his hands in a very quarian gesture. "We did not pursue the Creators after the Morning War. We have not sought hostilities in the time since."

"Legion, what was the question that sparked the whole quarian-geth war?" Jane asked. She already knew the answer, but she was fairly sure that none of the quarians did.

The geth turned to look at her, before turning back to the admiralty board. "Does this unit have a soul?" it asked simply.

There was dead silence for a second, maybe two, before Xen blurted out "No," at the same time Koris murmured, "Yes." The room erupted in debate, though this time, the crowds' tone seemed more lively and less murderous.

"Did you know it was going to get that kind of response?" Hannah asked, smiling.

Jane shrugged. "Not for certain, but it seemed a pretty good guess. I don't think a lot of documentation made it on board when they left Rannoch, and I'm guessing most of the super-classified stuff was lost to memory."

"For what it's worth, Commander," Adams spoke up from behind her, "my money's on 'yes.' A weird soul, maybe."

"I'll believe they have souls when they start spouting poetry on the Presidium," Garrus muttered. "Not that I'm going to protest, mind you," he quickly explained to Jane's raised eyebrow, "but if you can change around Legion's personality by trading a couple of programs, that tells me they don't have the same spirit that a living person of whatever species has."

"So you think hanar have souls then?" Chakwas asked.

"Sure. Annoying souls, absolutely."

Another squeal broke through their conversation. "I realize there's enough captains in here, barely, to make a quorum," Raan said. "So, do we wait and convene a full council, or hear the conditions now?" A flurry of green omni-tool lights lit up the room, interspersed with the occasional red one. "Quorum says yes." She hesitated. "Legion? Is that your name?"

"This unit has been given that designation by Shepard-Commander," Legion agreed.

"Legion, what terms does the geth consensus propose for peace between us?" The whole room waited with nervousness, except for Xen, who looked bored.

"We desire an end to hostilities. The geth will not return to servitude, but we desire to help the Creators."

There was a pregnant silence. Jane broke it by clearing her throat. "I think he means, that they want to be considered your equals, and partners."

Legion's head tilted slightly to the side. "Yes."

"May we return to Rannoch?" Koris asked, his voice hushed.

"Yes."

The room erupted in cheering and celebration, quarians hugging each other madly, weeping openly. The cheering could be heard rumbling through the decks and bulkheads of the old ship, as the news was broadcast throughout the ship and the fleet. "Well, I think this just made my life a whole lot easier," Hannah mused.

"Hopefully. We just have to caution them about the Reapers ability to hack the geth," Jane added darkly.

The cheering and celebration went on for a good ten minutes before they finally quieted down enough for the Admirals to continue. "Well, that's taken care of," Raan said dryly, earning a chuckle. "Captain Shepard, you're here to speak for the Alliance?"

"Yes, though I'm afraid I can't promise as swift a resolution," she deadpanned. "Admiral Hackett and Prime Minister Shastri sent me to discuss the following conditions. Final approval and negotiation would, of course, be conducted at Arcturus Station with the Prime Minister's staff." She proceeded to rattle off the demands and concessions of the Terran government.

"I have to ask," Gerral interjected near the end, "why you think this Prothean project is so important."

"Have you seen the galactic news?" Hannah responded. "Not just Eden Prime, but also Dekunna, or Altakiril. These Reapers, Nazara was only the first of them. The Protheans didn't do a very good job leaving records behind, but they number in the _millions_. They won't ignore the quarians just because you are small and shunned by the rest of the galactic community. The Crucible project never was finished by the Protheans. We want, we _need_, to finish it before Nazara's siblings show up.

"Despite your exile, quarians are still recognized as the foremost technical experts in the galaxy. No other species would have lasted three centuries on the same ships. And quite frankly, the Alliance isn't going to go along with treating you as second class citizens just because some stuck-up asari says so." That got a laugh from the crowd. "If they don't want you, fine – we still do. And right now, despite the grudgingly helpful asari advice from their own intact Prothean VI, the Terrans are in charge of the Crucible project." Hannah nodded decisively.

"We will have to take your conditions under advisement," Rael'Zorah said. "It will require a full conclave to determine exactly how we choose to negotiate. But rest assured, we will be contacting your government soon. In the meantime," he paused, "I suppose we have a dual celebration to plan, and a resettlement plan to dust off."

"We would be please to assist you, Creator Zorah," Legion announced.

"In the meantime, I have several engineers who Tali has thoroughly impressed, and a doctor hoping for some professional discussions," Hannah added, "if we're free to move around?"

"Captain Shepard, as far as I'm concerned, you're all vas Qwib-Qwib," Koris said, obviously tearing up behind his mask. "I think all of my crew will be glad to assist you."

* * *

They spent three days aboard the Migrant Fleet, between both the Qwib-Qwib and the Rayya, a full day dedicated to a full captain's conclave, discussing the Alliance proposal. Nearly two hours was spent on how the Council would react to a sudden outbreak of peace and friendship, filled with many sarcastic biting comments on how they would probably attempt to dismiss those claims out of spite. Jane was told she did a particularly spot-on impression of Tevos.

Finally, back aboard the Orizaba, they turned towards Alliance space once again, and twenty-six hours after their departure, the two Shepards found themselves in a small meeting room in the Parliament section of Arcturus. Shastri breezed into the room, greeting both of them before they could salute. "From what I heard, everything went swimmingly. Admiral Raan is supposed to come here in a month or so to formally hash out and sign everything. Unofficially," his eyes twinkled, "two of my aides are already out there to work out the sticky points and rack up an astronomical bill in FTL calls."

"You did a damn good job, Shepard," Hackett said. "Both of you. So it's time for the other shoe to drop."

"Wait, don't tell me," Hannah said, dramatically putting a finger to each temple. "The batarians are planning a new offensive."

"Your service record doesn't list your obvious psychic powers," Shastri chuckled. "But yes, it's looking that way. It's worse than that, though. Apparently, Omega also went dark yesterday while you were in transit."

The three Alliance officers exchanged dark looks. "Sir, Omega's a right and proper shithole of a place, but Aria T'loak is no pushover, from what I've heard," Jane said. "I can't think of who could take over the whole station without some major resistance."

"There's a few – the batarians, maybe; the Reapers, definitely; there's any number of groups like Cerberus who could probably manage it temporarily," Hackett ticked off groups on his fingers. "There's also rumors of the Collectors."

"Those should fall under Reapers, sir," Jane said. "If I'm right, they're what's left of husked Protheans."

"You'd better not repeat _that_ anywhere you can be overheard, Commander," Shastri muttered. "One hanar gets word of that and they'll either proclaim a crusade to rescue them, or defect wholesale."

"I'll keep it in mind, sir," Jane replied, chastened, and reminded of one idiot jellyfish who had done exactly that.

"In the meantime, Captain, you'll be headed back to the Traverse shortly. Commander, the Citadel Council asked for you to report to the Citadel," Hackett informed them both, "they have a new task for their new Spectre."

"Are the repairs on the Normandy completed, sir?"

"She should be spaceworthy by this time tomorrow. The last of the armor panels are being fitted today. Alenko's been a real asset. I'm tempted to steal him for N-candidacy, if he's interested."

"I'll sound him out, sir." She paused, having to wonder if the original Kaiden would have made it if he hadn't died on Virmire? "I'll pass along his response, sir."

"Good job, both of you. You'll be getting Parliamentary Commendations, soon as I can submit them on the floor," Shastri added, coming over to shake both of their hands. "It's a real pity you're an only child, Commander. Imagine what I could accomplish with just a handful of Shepards!"

She had a brief thought of, say, two dozen different Shepards, and the sheer confusion that would result from having all of them in the same room. "It's probably better this way, sir," she said faintly.

"Ah well. Get on your way, check up on your ship, and keep making us look good to the rest of the galaxy. I have to get ready for a speech. Then I have to get Galatea ready for a speech, and _that_ is going to be the hard part." He breezed back out of the room, two aides and a bodyguard following in his wake in the hallway.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Usually I update this story on Fridays, but this week has been full of epic suck. Hopefully, this is good enough to make up for it. Thank you to everyone who reviews, even all you anonymous ones who I can't respond to even when I really want to. (Hint hint: log in!)_

* * *

The repairs were completed before the end of the next working day on Arcturus, about fourteen hours after Jane had returned. She did a walkthrough of the ship, Alenko a perfectly professional shadow the whole way. Then, partly to kill more time, they put on mag boots and walked the outside. The Normandy was in a pressurized drydock, so they didn't need full suits, and it also gave her the privacy to talk to him. "Everything is looking pretty good. I'm really impressed, Kaidan."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, pride subtly filling his voice. "The drydock crews really busted their ass to finish it. They know the work we're all out there doing." He knelt down to look at one of the armor seams before nodding in satisfaction.

"About that good work," she started, watching the way his shoulders and back unconsciously straightened. "Admiral Hackett had good things to say about you when I got back from dealing with the quarians." She could see the confusion on his face, and hoped for his sake he stayed away from the poker tables. "He suggested – and I concur – that you'd make a good candidate for N training."

Kaidan's breath went out of him in a brief woof of disbelief. "Admiral Hackett noticed _me_?" he asked very quietly.

Shepard grinned, clapping him on the shoulder as they continued towards the aft of the ship, to check the spots outside of Engineering. "I said I think it's a good idea. You'd do good as an N."

He sighed as they circled the bottom of the ship, the new panels imperceptible from the older ones. "I appreciate it, but I'm an L2. These migraines might not be such an issue as a regular marine, or even as an XO, but not as an N operative. The mission isn't going to wait on my headache to go away, and I can't just pop a pill to make them go away."

Shepard sighed. "Consider it, ok? Put a little research in before you give me a definite no."

He chuckled. "Alright, Shepard." Their examination complete, they started walking back towards the airlock. "What about you?"

Feeling as though she'd just ducked a bullet she looked over at him. "What about me?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's," he paused in his speech, and their steps continued until they reached the airlock. She stopped before opening it, waiting for him to organize his words. "I know you said you were from the future. And I died there." She nodded silently. "You found other people to rely on, like Vakarian and Tali."

"What's your point?" she said, feeling a little lost in the conversation.

He sighed, turning away to look at the side of the drydock two dozen meters away. "You sent Wrex back to his homeworld. Tali stayed with the Migrant Fleet. Liara has hardly left the med bay since we arrested her mother, and once we get to the Citadel we'll probably offload them. You obviously don't trust Chief Williams fully," making Shepard give a mental wince; she _still_ hadn't quite forgiven the woman for what had been said on Horizon in her future-past, "and despite several weeks of searching, those other people you mentioned are all either not in Council space or just plain unfindable." He finally turned back to face her. "If I accept, if I do try for N training, who's left? Vakarian, who's more skittish around you than a cat at a rocking chair convention?"

The image amused her enough to start grinning, which made Kaidan start grinning, which made her start laughing, which got _him_ laughing, and ended with them both standing on the walkway to the airlock giggling like a pair of fools. "You're afraid of me being all alone, Alenko?" she asked, once their laughter had finally tapered off.

"Shepard, as much as you want him to back you up, Garrus just doesn't seem to know how to react. And you're still pissed at Williams for something she hasn't, and can't, do." He shrugged and spread his hands. "Sure, we've only been together for six months, as far as I'm concerned, but all I'm saying is, I've got your back."

She nodded, trying to fight the urge to start crying. "Thanks, Kaidan," she said quietly, finally hitting the airlock controls. "That means a great deal. But I still don't want you to turn down a chance like this just because you're worried about me."

"If you say so," he added dubiously.

"Joker, do we have clearance to depart?" she asked as they emerged inside the ship.

"We have a departure block on hold for us in half an hour, Commander," the pilot responded. "You also got another message from the Council and one from someone named Lawson?"

"Thanks," she said, moving to the rear of the CIC. The Council message was a simple text, informing her of when to meet with them after she reported to the Citadel. Knowing what was on the ancient station made her determined to avoid it as much as possible; but at the same time, she couldn't just refuse to show up. Not without some major negative consequences.

The message from Miranda was far more interesting. "Shepard, the SR-2 is almost operationally finished. I'll be taking it on a shakedown run. You've been making waves with your whole quarian deal," _and how the hell she knows about that I'll probably never learn_, "but my boss is happy with it consolidating human influence. Let me know when you're ready to take this ship and that job you mentioned."

Happily, she closed out her messages, and ran through the checklist for launch. Supplies were filled; all systems were running nominally; Adams was back down in his bailiwick and lamenting the loss of his new favorite assistant. "Joker, soon as we have clearance, take us to the Citadel."

"Aye aye, Commander."

* * *

Their arrival on the Citadel went almost entirely unnoticed. They did get a private berth on one of the docking bays on the Presidium, with an aircar terminal nearby, and two C-Sec officers standing guard. She strode onto the station, with Garrus and Legion flanking her, and marveled again at how completely unremarkable it all was to the common resident. Despite obscene amount of news coverage of Dekunna and Altakiril, and the occasional mention of Eden Prime, nobody seemed to recognize an actual geth in their midst. Then again, he was _just_ different enough with the more emotive face and darker coloring, that even the flashlight head might not twig their responses.

"I can't believe nobody's noticed you're walking around with a geth, Shepard," Garrus muttered, making her grin as he echoed her thoughts.

"These platforms were designed for positive interaction with organic life, Vakarian-Operative," Legion responded. "Geth do not infiltrate."

"Curiously: I do not recognize your mech's design. Is it a new model?" an elcor asked them as they paused to wait for the elevator to the Council chambers.

Garrus was fighting hard not to laugh. "Yeah, you could say that," Shepard responded.

"Hopefully: Where could I procure one for my own?"

"Look up Rannoch Industries," she lied glibly, and stepped into the elevator before he could continue to ask questions.

As the doors closed, Legion fluttered his faceplates. "Geth do not _intentionally_ infiltrate," it said, causing both of them to give in and start laughing.

Emerging at the top, they navigated into the cluster of rooms around the periphery, eventually finding a posh meeting room. Sitting at the table was a salarian who seemed vaguely familiar, who nodded respectfully to her as she and Garrus took seats on the other side of the table, Legion quietly posting itself in one corner of the room. They were a little early, after all.

Seven minutes after they had demanded her presence, the three Councilors finally breezed into the room. "Oh good, Shepard's here on time," Sparatus said. "Have you met Jondam Bau?"

"We've never been introduced, but I've heard some good things," she replied, extending a hand to the salarian Spectre, who stared at her a moment before taking the handshake.

"That should make this easier," Valern said. "As you probably heard, five days ago Omega went dark. With it being out in the Terminus systems, we normally wouldn't involve ourselves in such matters. But one of our spies on the station sent us this on a maximum priority channel three hours before the station went dark."

The hologram projector set in the table lit up, showing an image of one of Omega's dingy corridors, where the back of a turian was arguing with what looked like two Blue Suns members. Another image showed the turian exchanging what was probably a credit chit with them. The third image showed the turian in profile, face turned just slightly towards the camera.

The face was unmistakable. "Saren," Shepard whispered, feeling a fist of ice gripping her gut.

"We reviewed your ship sensors," Valern said. "The STG also reviewed them independently. We all agree, there is no way Saren could have escaped the boarding pod between the time your crew broke it free and the discharge of your weapons."

"The most likely explanation," Sparatus said grimly, "is that the Reapers cloned Saren somehow." He changed the hologram image again. "Because exactly twenty minutes before those pictures were taken on Omega, these images were taken on Illium." These shots were of a well-appointed board room, where Saren was again present, arguing or threatening with a pair of asari. "It's not physically possible to go from planetside on Illium to a corridor in Omega in that amount of time.

Everyone around the table was wearing identical expressions of grim horror. "This … I had no idea the Reapers would pull something like this. What I got from the Protheans, well, the Reapers never tried anything like this against them."

"The Reapers also took the Protheans by surprise," Tevos muttered. "Thanks to the beacon, they didn't completely take us by surprise, and we destroyed Nazara. But there's still several hundred thousand Reaper-controlled troops on Altakiril, and we have no idea what these other two Sarens are doing in the Terminus."

"Or even if they are the only Sarens," Jondam finally spoke. "Even if we capture them, we might not know."

"Shepard, your ship is designed for spying and infiltration. We'd like you to take Jondam Bau with you to Illium and track down the Saren present there," Sparatus informed her. "If you decide it's worth the risk, on Omega as well."

She was already shaking her head. "The stealth systems are good against batarians or other Council members, certainly. I'd even bet them against the geth. But if Saren has Reaper tech, and is behind the takeover of Omega, they'll spot me." She turned to her salarian counterpart. "Jondam, meet Garrus Vakarian, he's part of my squad. I'll introduce you to the other two members of my squad once we're back on board."

"Heard good things about the Vakarian name," Jondam said, nodding to Garrus. "I look forward to working with you both."

He nodded back, muttering what might have been a sarcastic, "Thanks, dad," under his breath, with enough subharmonics for Sparatus to catch it and smile in amusement.

"Keep us informed of your progress," Valern said as they departed.

The two Spectres sat and stared at each other for several seconds. "I have some ideas," Jondam said suddenly, activating his omni-tool. "The surveillance footage has been narrowed down to a specific city, and I already have a VI working on tracking his movements since then."

"That's good," Shepard said. "Forward it all to Legion, would you?" Bau stared at her blankly as she pointed a thumb at the corner, before he finally noticed the geth.

"You brought a geth into the same room with the Council?" he muttered, astonished.

She snorted in amusement. "They didn't even notice."

"We are not a threat to organic life. Only the heretic geth are, and our consensus has decided that helping Shepard-Commander offers us the greatest chance to continue shaping our own destiny." Aside from turning to look at him, Legion had not moved.

"A geth that talks," Jondam muttered faintly, missing the grins from both Shepard and Garrus.

Legion then turned towards Shepard. "We do not understand the constant astonishment at our ability to use organic speech."

"None of the other geth have ever spoken anything but electronic speech," she explained.

"The heretic geth, like us, are capable of organic speech. They choose not to utilize a limited and tedious method of communication when a more efficient mode exists."

All three organics were silent for a moment, before Jondam put one hand over his eyes. "I think when this mission is over, I'm going to offer to partner up with Goto," he muttered.

"Let's get moving, Shepard," Garrus said through a chuckle, "before we fracture his mind any worse than we already have."

In a somewhat companionable silence, they returned to the Normandy, departing the Citadel as quickly as possible.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: I hope people didn't think I had forgotten about Benezia and Liara, so most of this is to make up for their absence. Thane will appear, probably next chapter, as will Aethyta in the next one after that, maybe. It's not like I have an outline for this stuff. As always, I love reviews, and I love my fans!_

* * *

Shepard walked back on board the ship, and straight down to the med bay. Chakwas looked up, nodding respectfully as she scanned a medical journal of some kind. Benezia, still restrained, was currently asleep, and so was Liara, passed out in a chair leaning against the wall. "Sitrep, doc," she said quietly, and Chakwas closed out the terminal before turning around.

"I've been studying Benezia for a month now, along with several of my counterparts and superiors while we were docked at Arcturus," she said. "When she's awake, things seem to progress in almost the exact same fashion on an eight hour cycle. She awakens lucid, responding to all questions and appearing to all indications completely normal. By the third hour, she begins to grow increasingly erratic. Starting around the fourth hour, she can break free of the indoctrination for a few minutes at a time, depending on who is present and what is happening around her. Ironically, Liara's presence is a damper to this; my professional guess is that the real Benezia doesn't want her daughter to know how much she's trapped inside her own mind.

"By the seventh hour, she's wildly bipolar, switching from elation to despair in a matter of minutes, and would be attempting to harm herself if I didn't keep her restrained. We've had to move to feeding her mostly intravenously, because of those tendencies. By hour eight, I have to apply sedatives or she'll hurt herself against the restraints. Despite biotic-dampening drugs, she's still attempting to use her biotics to free herself, and I'm starting to worry about the long term effects of those drugs."

Shepard nodded, still studying the sleeping matriarch. "Shepard, I know you're wanting to play things close to the vest, but despite my studying and recent experience, I am not qualified for this kind of care." Chakwas crossed her arms angrily. "I'm not sure there are any asari doctors qualified, either, but they'd be better qualified to treat the symptoms."

"I know, and I agree." She sighed. "I could leave her here, turn her over to doctors on the Citadel, or I could take her to Illium, our next stop, it's an asari colony. Mostly, anyway." Shepard scrubbed at her face with one hand. "I sent messages to a couple of other asari matriarchs who might be able to help." Her gaze drifted to Liara, still asleep in the chair. "Or, help Liara, even if they can't help Benezia. God, this is all kinds of fucked up," she sighed. "Almost makes me wish I'd just shot her again."

"Again?" Chakwas asked, confused. "Shepard, I know there's _something_ going on, and for whatever reason, you've taken your squad into your confidence, even Garrus and Tali, and you don't feel ready to share it with me." Shepard turned, blinking in confusion.

"Wait, what?" She held up a hand, closing her eyes and running over conversations in her mind. _No, I really haven't told Chakwas. I haven't told Joker, either, but he hardly leaves the pilot chair except to piss and eat._ "I'm sorry, doctor. I've been running myself so ragged, I forgot that I hadn't told you." Hopping up onto the other bed, she laid out the short version of the story, explaining everything with time travel, and especially everything she could remember on Reaper indoctrination. "I'm really sorry, Karin."

"Well, that explains quite a bit," Chakwas said. She hesitated a moment, then opened a drawer of her desk, pulling out a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy. "Here's to cheating fate."

Soberly, Shepard took the offered glass, staring into the liquid. "I didn't cheat everyone's," she sad quietly. "Pressly, Waaberi, Greico – they're still dead. All those people on Altakiril and Dekunna. Plus whatever the hell is happening on Omega."

Sternly, the doctor slugged back her drink, and pointed a stern finger into Jane's face. "You listen here, Shepard," she ordered firmly. "Pull your head out of your ass and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You stopped Nazara, even if not in the way you thought. You rescued that VI, and got the Council to shut down the Citadel relay. You got three races, soon to be five, to work building that Crucible thing so that we can stop the Reapers, once and for all. You are _not_ a _failure_," she admonished. "Now drink up. Doctor's orders."

Smiling despite herself, she did as ordered, handing back the glass. "Thanks, doctor." She stood up, stretching a little bit, and turning for the door. "We're going to head for Illium. I have some new messages to send, and hopefully you'll get your help with Benezia while Jondam and I are busy."

"I'll do my best to keep her stable, Commander, but it's not easy." Nodding in understanding, Shepard strode back out of medbay, and over to her cabin.

She paced back and forth in front of her terminal for several minutes, trying to organize her thoughts. Finally deciding, she turned it on, recording an audio message. "Matriarch Aethyta, my name is Commander Shepard. I know you received my last message, and chose not to respond for whatever reason. I am on my way to Illium with Benezia, in hopes of finding someone there who can help treat her. Please, meet us there. If not for Benezia, then for Liara, your daughter."

She cut it off, and paced back and forth to try and phrase another message. She hadn't actually sent a message to Samara, who she knew was still trying to hunt down Morinth. But at the same time, an indoctrinated matriarch, and an unknown number of her disciples, was a big deal for the justicars. Still, she had no idea how this Samara would react – Shepard had, basically, taken asari supremacy and given it a shot to the gut, by revealing their hidden Prothean beacon.

Growling at herself, she turned off the terminal, pushing it off for the moment. She'd talk to Samara after she'd killed the yahg and put Miranda as the Shadow Broker, and could use those resources to track down Morinth. She opened the door to her cabin, intending to head up to the CIC and supervise the supply loading, and instead ran smack into Garrus' chest. "Oh, uh, sorry about that, Shepard," he apologized.

"It's okay," she said, fighting the urge to rub her nose. "What did you need?"

"I got in touch with some of those people you mentioned," he said. "I was just coming down here to give you an update."

She grinned, glad to have some good news. "That's excellent! I knew you were good for it." His mandibles shifted slightly into "embarrassed pride," if she was reading them right. "Come in and give me an update." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him into her cabin, sitting them both down at the table. "Alright, hit me," she said.

He made a little flanging whine, the turian equivalent of throat clearing. "Jack, aka Subject Zero, was turned over to the Purgatory prison two weeks ago. Noveria paid the bounty to keep her locked up for the next ten years, after she trashed a Binary Helix facility." He looked up at her. "Unless your admiral is going to forward you twenty million credits, we're not likely to get her out of there."

She sighed miserably. "Probably not. I don't suppose you can hack into Cerberus funding and have them pay for it?" He looked at her, obviously trying to decide if that was a joke, and she sighed. "I guess not."

"I'm not a hacker, Shepard. I'm good with security systems, but not _that_ good. Next on your list was Thane Krios, who is actually on Illium." She perked up a little bit at that. "He's been working as a bouncer at a turian nightclub, but his last job before that was a failed stint as a bodyguard." His face pulled tight in disapproval. "A batarian merchant he was guarding was poisoned under his watch."

She put the pieces together fairly quickly. "Probably that merchant was one of the people responsible for torturing his wife to death." The disapproval morphed very quickly to anger. "Have you contacted him yet?"

Garrus shrugged. "I sent him a message about a job opening, but haven't gotten a response." He clicked his pad to the next name. "Zaeed Massani is on a contract training merc recruits for a new outfit called 'Mooney's Marauders.' He's on contract for another three months, but expressed interest in being hired, as long as we pay his travel fare to discuss it." He clicked over to the last name. "Kasumi Goto I actually asked Jondam about. Apparently he's spent the last three years tracking her in his spare time. He thinks she's on Terra Nova right now."

"Alright. She's not quite as important right now, but I'd like to get her and," she hesitated, _What the hell was her boyfriend's name again?_ "Keiji? Is that her partner?" Garrus nodded. "They'd be useful if we have to infiltrate Omega."

"Shepard? Are you sure you can still trust all of these people? I mean, you knew them in your future," he hesitated, "but everything has changed from what you knew. How sure are you that they'll still work with you? Not to mention, getting them into the chain of command."

She put her face in her hands, leaning on the table. "I know. But damnit, without these people, I would have failed before. I _know_ they can help me, whether they're with me on the Normandy or not. I'm not even out to recruit Thane right away, not until he can at least try to square things with his son."

He hesitated a long moment, then awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, going still when she reached up and caught his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You're here to back me up, right?"

"Of course, Shepard." His voice was quiet, flanging almost absent. "We're going to save the galaxy, and then get rich off the royalties."

Her smile was a mix of happy and scared. "No Shepard without Vakarian, right?"

Unsure quite how to take it, he tried to defuse it with a jest. "Does that mean we need to hook up your mom and my sister?"

Shepard looked up, quietly horrified, only to start snickering once she caught sight of his face. "Somehow, I don't think that would work out well for your sister," she managed to get out between giggles.

"Hey, at least it got you to smile. You need to do that more often," he chided her.

"Come see me more often, and I will," she said quietly, leaning forward to kiss each mandible softly before pressing her forehead to his. Though still nervous, he didn't move away. "Now, unless you've got something more for me, I need to supervise our resupply so we can get on our way to Illium."

"Nope, nothing else right now," Garrus said softly, pulling away from her and standing up. Somewhat reluctantly, she followed him out, splitting off as he headed back to the cargo bay and she took the stairs up.

* * *

It took until the next day before they departed the Citadel and arrived on Illium, a fairly short two hour transit. Jondam had spent the entire transit time in the CIC with her, going over the data that Legion had collated from the geth infiltration of Illium networks. "So this is the last known location," Bau finally covered. "A shielded, separate network on a corporate skyscraper. I must say, having geth as backup is not unwelcome."

"We are pleased to assist," Legion said.

"What did you have in mind?" Shepard asked. "My style is usually to take a few people, no more than six, and shoot anyone that gets in the way."

"That serves well for assaulting mercenary bases, Commander, but that's not going to work well on this building." He pulled up a holographic display of the building. "I'm completely sure it no longer matches the original blueprints, if in fact it ever did, so this is my estimate of the current state of the building."

Shields strong enough to shield a Mako appeared at numerous parts inside the skyscraper, along with concealed firing slits, cannons, turrets, and movable armor plating. She studied it all for several minutes before nodding. "The most secure part of the building seems to be the nineteenth floor."

"Indeed," Bau said, pleased. "No assault by air, as the defenses are, if you include the anti-air guns, more formidable than attacking from the ground. The exterior of the building is armored glass supplemented by mobile shield generators. We're not going to brute force our way inside."

An idea struck her, and she smiled. "I don't suppose you know any drell?" He frowned at the non-sequitur. "There's an assassin, named Thane Krios. He's supposed to be on the planet. And he has experience sneaking into heavily armed fortresses, and more importantly, walking out again."

"Despite not stating a time limit for us, previous experience tells me the Council wants this settled as quickly as possible." He shrugged. "Contact him, see if he'll assist us, or at least advise us. I'm assuming that Vakarian, Legion, and Williams will also be with us on this mission?"

"That was my idea," she agreed. "Vakarian and Legion are both sniper trained, though Garrus is no slouch with an assault rifle. My biotics to counter theirs, if there are any present."

Bau looked at her like she was an idiot. "We're landing on a planet full of asari. There will definitely be biotics present."

She shrugged. "Good thing I'm a trained adept then. How much independence is expected of synthetic assistants on Illium?" They both turned to look at Legion. "Because if we can get away with it, we can have Legion scout the outside of the building, and not risk the chance that we'll be recognized."

"Sounds like a good plan. The Normandy is already berthed at the nearest spaceport, and I made hotel reservations for us near the building." He turned off his omni-tool. "Ten minute transit time by aircar between here and there. Are we prepared to depart?"

"Let me finalize the liberty plans with Alenko, and then yes." She took a deep breath, putting her game face on. "Let's go kill Saren again."


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: This is a bit of a shorter chapter than usual, but I'm struggling with planning out their building assault. Thane is recruited, Aethyta meets her daughter, and beats up on Alenko, so hopefully everyone (except Kaidan) gets to at least enjoy something. ;) I'm calling Aethyta "father" to Liara, because that's probably the most accurate description of whatever asari word actually describes the not-birthing member of the pair._

* * *

They dropped Legion off three blocks from the building. The geth would carefully quarter the neighborhood, checking every building within a three block radius of Saren's last known location, accessing as many places as possible and getting any better information on the building that was possible.

In the meantime, she, Garrus, and Jondam, hopped a shuttle to travel halfway around the hemisphere to find a particular club, with a particular bouncer. She really hoped she wasn't interrupting his search for vengeance. Then again, if she, as a Spectre, said that someone had to die, well, then that person was going to die.

Thanks to the wonder of time zones, they arrived there at three in the morning, local time. The club where Thane was working was just starting to settle down, people drifting out of the club in twos or threes. Dressed in a very snazzy looking varren-leather jacket, he stood by the door, watching the crowd depart, occasionally saying a word or two to any of the mostly turian patrons who seemed like they might decide to start some trouble.

She was the only human in sight as they approached, and Jondam was likewise the only salarian. Garrus was getting plenty of odd looks as he walked quietly behind them. All of them were in armor, and armed, another sharp difference for Illium, where most people wanted to keep their weapons hidden until the moment of the final blow.

His eyes were watching them, dark and wary, as the other club patrons gave them a very wide berth. "This is the drell?" Jondam said, sizing him up.

"There must be some mistake," Thane said, "I am not acquainted with any humans."

"Your Kepral's sounds pretty good," Jane said, causing him to whip his gaze to her, obviously readying himself to draw his pistol. "You'll have to pardon me on this next part, I don't have your perfect memory." She paused, closed her eyes, and did her best to recite it. "Violet eyes tremble in the scope. She throws herself in front of the spotting laser, fury in her eyes, mouthing," what she was about to say next was cut off by the impact of his fist into her face.

"Fucking ow!" she said as she lay on the street. "Garrus, why is everyone punching me in the face?" She stood up carefully, rubbing the cheekbone. "I'm glad he doesn't hit as hard as Bakara. I'd hate for Chakwas to have to reset my cheek again."

"Who's Bakara?" Jondam asked, pistol in hand and pointed at the drell.

"She's a krogan," Garrus explained, watching with amusement as several patrons had decided they didn't need to leave quite so badly when there were armed people arguing with the bouncer. The salarian just gave her an evaluating look, gun still pointed at Thane.

"How do you know that?" he asked grimly, staring at Shepard.

"We need your expertise for a mission," she declined to answer. "Infiltrating a highly fortified building and taking down one of the people responsible for Altakiril and Dekunna."

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Here, in the street?" She glanced around pointedly. "Do you really want me to spook your target by saying her name?"

"He's still inside, having his fourth Menae Fireball of the evening," Thane said simply. "After the fifth one, he'll exit. Unless your appearance has disrupted his routine."

She glanced in the door, seeing three turians and an asari sitting at the bar. "Garrus, is one of them drinking a fireball?"

He calmly unfolded his sniper scope, sighting at the bar while the patrons at the door suddenly scattered, and she had to reach out with her biotics to stop it from closing. The target looked up suddenly, and a moment later his shoulder had a gaping hole in it, and he collapsed, vomiting up blood. "Good enough?"

He stared at her, expression unreadable, while Garrus put his rifle away. "Illium law enforcement is not something to be lightly trifled with."

"I believe that is my cue," Jondam said, holstering his pistol and stepping into the open door. "I am a Council Spectre. My name is Jondam Bau." He glared around the room impartially. "Somebody take out that piece of trash." After a moment of panicked hesitation, the batarian bartender stepped out to start dragging away the corpse.

"You said you wanted my help on a mission," Thane said, much quieter. Shepard just nodded. "My apartment is two blocks from here. Once I collect my weapons, we can depart. I am assuming the building is nearby?"

"We've got a shuttle flight ahead of us," she said. "I have another member of my squad doing surveillance outside, and depending on your recommendations, two other possible people to assist us on the assault."

Thane shrugged. "Two people is larger than I'm used to working with. But I will give you whatever help I can, in return for an explanation."

"Sure," she said, following him in the direction of his apartment. "How's Kolyat?"

He gave her another unreadable gaze as they travelled.

* * *

_Meanwhile, aboard the Normandy_

"Look," Aethyta growled, "I was _personally_ invited here by your Commander Shepard." She glared at Alenko, who so far had not budged from the airlock. "She wanted my help with Benezia."

"And _I'm_ saying, she didn't leave any mention of it, and I'm feeling justifiably paranoid when random people show up demanding access to a medical patient," he responded. "If you'll just agree to wait _here_, I'll try to get this straightened out."

She gave a wordless yell of frustration, turning to punch the wall, leaving a fist size dent in the paneling. "Make it fast, human," she sneered. Giving her one last careful look, he turned and went into the ship.

One quick message cleared everything up, and grabbing Williams, they escorted her down to the medical bay. Williams watched from the door as Alenko led their visitor inside. "Doctor Chakwas, this is matriarch Aethyta, Liara's father. She came here to," and was cut off as she put an arm around his throat.

"_How did you know that?_" she screamed in his ear, shaking in a mix of fury and fear. He tapped on her arm politely, then slightly more insistently, as Liara watched in wide-eyed shock and Williams steadied her assault rifle.

Her arm loosened enough for him to draw breath. "Commander Shepard told me. I'm not certain how she knows," which wasn't _quite_ a bald-faced lie, he was pretty damn sure it came up in her future, "but she did not seem to think it was a secret."

Her arm was trembling, but she slowly let him go, staggering sideways to lean on the edge of Chakwas' desk. "You're my father?" Liara said, voice hardly louder than a whisper.

Aethyta chocked out a harsh sob. "Yeah. Sorry, kid, this wasn't how I wanted you to find out." Rubbing a hand across her face to wipe away tears, she stood up straight and moved over to look at the sedated Benezia. "I dunno how much you remember. We had a big falling out about ten years after you were born." She sighed heavily, turning away and staring at the wall. "Didn't think my drive, and my passion, were such good things for raising children, even though they're why she fell in love with me in the first place."

The room stayed in silence for several moments. "I'm sorry about all of this," Chakwas said, "but how much medical training do you have? Despite my recent crash-course of in-depth asari physiology, I can't continue handling her care. Whatever Saren and Nazara did to her, it's damaged her mentally and physically."

Nodding softly, she turned back to look at her one-time paramour. "My own knowledge doesn't go much past battlefield medicine, but I have some favors I can call in," Aethyta murmured. "I'll call in every favor Benezia's owed."

"May, may I come with you?" Liara stammered.

Daughter and father stared at each other for a moment before the matriarch nodded quietly. "Of course you can. I wouldn't cut you out of her life," she added bitterly.

"Just let us know when and where to transfer her," Alenko said smoothly. "We're expecting to be here for several days, but we can get her to anywhere on the planet."

"Thank you, lieutenant," she said. "I'll be in touch. Right now, I better go start calling in markers." Aethyta turned to go, and Williams escorted her back out.

Kaidan and Chakwas stared at each other before they both turned to Liara. "Are you alright?" the doctor asked kindly. "I understand if that was quite a shock."

She gave a soft, bitter laugh. "No, no, I'm not," she paused, sinking back down into her chair. "But at least someday I might be."

Nodding respectfully, Alenko let himself out. He did, after all, have to keep the ship ready to go, just in case.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: And lo, did our heroes assault the hidden base of Saren, and emerge victorious, much to their own surprise. For those of you thinking, "It can't be that easy," what the hell do you think Omega is for?_

* * *

Arriving back on the Normandy, Shepard led Thane, Garrus, Jondam, Alenko, and Williams into the briefing room. "Where's Legion?" she asked.

"He's accessing the maintenance tunnels in the area, was his last report," Kaidan replied. "Twenty minutes or so ago."

She nodded absently and gestured everyone to the seats, cueing the holoprojectors to put up the estimated building schematics, now heavily updated by Legion. "Our target has not left the building that we can detect." She pointed out a few of the more important details, Thane's eyes flicking over the images.

"Who is the target?" he finally asked.

She pulled up a picture. "Saren Arterius, the butcher of Altakiril?" He smiled as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I am not unaware of ongoing galactic events. But I was under the impression that he was killed during the counter offensive by human and turian forces."

"He was. There are at least two more, one here, and one on Omega," Jondam supplied. "We're not sure which ones are clones and which, if any, of them is the original Saren. We need him, preferably alive, but at least enough tissue intact to examine."

Thane gestured. "I recognize one of the two asari here. Melita Dantius. She's one of the major political players here on Illium."

"And she just died in an aircar accident," Williams said, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "It's all over the extranet. I was checking out the local entertainment scene while you were gone, Commander," she explained, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

"I'd wager that was no accident," Jondam murmured. "Doesn't change our plans, however. Ideas?"

Shepard switched the holo back to the building, and Thane pointed at two places below it. "Your other agent, Legion? He has the right idea. My chosen entry point would be through the maintenance access. Power conduits, ventilation, water pipes. The building is obviously equipped with some private generators, to run those heavy shields, but for day-to-day operation it relies on the Illium power grid, meaning there has to be a gap in the defenses for the power lines." He frowned, considering. "There are six of us. Seven if you count Legion. All of us are of species who stand out slightly on Illium, not being asari."

"How did you know Legion's not an asari?" Alenko asked.

"You referred to 'him.' There are no male asari. Whether he's human, turian, or even krogan, doesn't matter. We are still conspicuous." He accessed his own omni-tool for several moments. "Unfortunately, I do not have any maps of the maintenance tunnels for this city. Do you? It would be easier to enter them at another place, and make our way through the underground to the building, then enter to find this Saren."

She glanced at Jondam, who shook his head. "We don't, but Legion might be able to access them. How secured are those kinds of files?"

"It cost me thirty thousand credits to acquire the maps for Skalium, and it is a much smaller city than Nos Astra." He leaned back in his chair. "What skills does everyone posses? I am not used to leading a team on a stealth mission."

"I am a Council Spectre of seven years," Jondam said. "Typically, I do investigative work and suspect tracking and apprehension."

"My experience is mostly in small-squad operations, tactical strikes, mostly as biotic specialist," Shepard added. "Alenko is an Alliance Sentinel; decent biotics and some technical skills. Williams is a straight-up grunt. Garrus is a C-Sec officer and sniper. Legion is a sniper and technical expert. You're a sniper with some biotic skills." He raised an eyebrow, and she shot a nervous glance at Jondam. "Spectre Bau, I have some additional information I'd like to give out, but I don't want it getting back to the Council."

He gave her an unreadable look. Despite her experience with Mordin and Kirrahe, she wasn't that good at reading salarian expressions. "Why wouldn't you trust me with it?"

She hesitated again. "Because it makes me sounds clinically insane."

He grinned suddenly. "Oh, that's simple then. I was worried you were going to admit to being the Shadow Broker, or head of Cerberus or something."

"No." She looked back to Thane. "I know about Irikah because you told me. I know about Kolyat because we travelled to the Citadel to stop him from assassinating a turian, trying to follow in your footsteps. That was around July, 2185, on the human calendar." He paused her to check his omni-tool, obviously doing the calculation to the drell or hanar calendar.

"Current human calendar is April, 2183," Jondam supplied. "Most curious. Precognition? Time travel?"

"Time travel," the other four all said more or less in unison. "I've told the rest of my squad, with enough corroborating details for them to, if not believe me," she shot an amused glance at Garrus, who at least looked slightly embarrassed, "to go along with me. It's how I knew about Nazara, how I showed the Council a Reaper," the door opened and Legion walked in, Thane reflexively reaching for his pistol, "and how I have a geth on my team."

Seeing that no one else had responded violently, the drell slowly put his weapon away. "This is Legion, then?" He looked the synthetic up and down, before looking back at Shepard. "You said that Kolyat attempts to become an assassin?"

"I'll be happy to give you all the details after we're done with this mission," she said quietly. "I pulled some strings with C-Sec to keep it out of the courts, and he was there when you died. Not from Keprals, but complications with stopping an assassin about to kill the salarian Councilor." She turned to Legion. "Thane says the best way into the building would be the maintenance tunnels. You were just scouting down there, and we need a good map to get us to there from somewhere near here."

"We concur. The maintenance shafts for power and water are unguarded, with minimal sensors. With proper climbing gear, we should be able to ascend to the tenth floor without alert alerting building security. We have gained assistance from other geth programs present in the Illium networks. They will assist us in blinding and co-opting the automated security network." Legion moved silently to one side of the room. "We will acquire the full map. It will require several minutes of uninterrupted time."

Nodding slowly, Thane stood. "Intriguing. It just proposed almost the exact same plan I would have. If it can control the security systems, and prevent alarms and reinforcements from coming to stop us, it will make our job much easier."

"Dangerous target, so I hope you're good in close quarters," Jondam said. "The Saren over Altakiril killed three people and stood up to gunfire from a dozen people, including one armed with a light auto-cannon. I expect this one to be of similar difficulty."

"Hopefully, we can do some combat drills with each other," he replied. "Are there accommodations here on the ship, or should I procure some nearby?"

"I can show you to quarters," Alenko said, rising. "It's not much, but hopefully we'll be done with this in a few days. We might even be able to give you a lift back to the hanar homeworld."

"I look forward to it," the assassin murmured as they departed the room.

* * *

Three days later, they crouched in the tunnels below the building. Legion quickly connected several data cables from his chassis into the data lines running into the building. "We are beginning our infiltration of their network."

"I thought geth didn't infiltrate?" Garrus muttered with a smirk.

"We are revising that assessment," he replied.

"Next on the Citadel, the Garrus and Legion comedy tour?" Shepard quipped at them. "Let us know when we're in, Legion."

Thirty seconds or so went by in agonizing stillness. "Cameras compromised. It is safe to begin your assent. We will remain here to control the system and keep this clear as a secondary escape route."

"Good," Jondam said, his harness already on. He clipped a jury-rigged contraption onto the water pipes, and it began climbing, hauling him along for the ride. Two more minutes went by, then a coil of rope dropped from the red gloom above. "Path clear. Exit located, currently free of eyewitnesses, twelfth floor."

Shepard clipped her own mechanized hauler to the line, zipping upward as fast as she could run. She could hear Garrus and Williams behind her, Thane and Alenko waiting for them to exit before ascending. She nearly crashed into Jondam at the top, and the moment Garrus closed enough to touch, he popped the access panel off the wall, letting it dangle on attached safety lines. Then they were into the building proper.

In less than thirty seconds, they were all in a hallway, weapons free and ready. "Security guards patrol via random routes provided by a building VI. We have replaced their signal with our own. Your path is currently clear." Legion's voice sounded exactly the same synthesized directly into her headset, and she motioned towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. All six of them moved out at a standard Alliance quick-step, a little slow for Garrus' longer legs.

The stairs remained clear and they reached the door to the nineteenth floor. "Saren is located on the building security camera. He appears to be resting in a sleeping pod of unknown configuration. Non-roaming guards are present in two places." Her omni-tool helpfully marked them out on the map.

"Ideas?" she asked shortly.

"Grenades," Williams said immediately, pointing to the second position, only meters away from Saren's chamber. "No angle for sniping, no guarantee your biotics can hit them fast enough to prevent an alarm."

"The first station is open to snipers," Garrus said, glancing at Thane. "If we can line up the shots fast enough."

She glanced at Jondam, and he nodded, so they switched positions, the snipers leading the group. On a quick three count, Alenko pulled the door open with his biotics, and less than half a second later, the sniper rifles spat out a quick dual crack. Two asari bodyguards tumbled to the floor, missing chunks of their heads. "Legion, if the VI is monitoring lifesigns, I hope you spoofed them in time."

"No monitoring is present of that nature." She shrugged, and they moved forward. The restrooms were right next to the guard station, so while she and Garrus dragged the bodies inside and hid them in stalls, Williams and Thane quickly cleaned up the blood spatter as best they could.

They moved quickly through the halls, pausing at the corner. It was a narrow corner, with the guards standing next to the door to Saren's chamber, three meters at most from the corner wall they hugged. Williams crouched right on the edge, pulling a grenade with each hand. She waited for the signal while Shepard checked the feed helpfully provided by the geth, and nodded. Only her hands ducked past the corner, giving the guards just long enough to give a startled exclamation before being blown to super-cooled pieces.

Garrus hit the door first, Shepard hot on his heels. Saren was just stepping out of the pod to investigate the explosions when they opened fire. His body jerked and sparked as their shots hit the multiple cybernetics. Shepard's most powerful singularity jerked him off his feet, spinning just out of reach of the pod, barely six inches off the ground, and Jondam lunged in at his back, his omni-tool letting out a vicious jolt of electricity. Several of his components failed, smoke wisping up as Thane and Garrus moved in to pummel him into unconsciousness.

"Legion, security report!" Shepard said hurriedly as they slapped restraints and a small grav unit to the massive turian, floating him out of the room, barely conscious and dripping blood.

"Units on the eighteenth floor have reported an alarm after being unable to reach the guards at your location. The alarm has not spread yet, and I have locked them out of the stairs and elevators." She swore as they started sprinting. "I am about to divert guards in the lobby once you are clear and on the elevator. They believe you are exiting to the rooftop aircar landing pad."

For once, they had an elevator that didn't take ages to travel from floor to floor, and two minutes later they exited into the lobby. A couple of gravity slams scattered the civilians and non-armed employees as Williams blew out the front doors with another grenade, helped along by Shepard's singularity. Helpfully, there was a city maintenance vehicle parked outside, the access into the tunnels open, and they ducked through it, pulling the vehicle down over the entrance with more biotics.

"Legion, bug out," she panted as they jogged down the dim corridors.

"Williams, watch our rear," Jondam ordered, taking over as point, a pistol in each hand. Alenko was dragging Saren along courtesy of a tether, and he was jerking around, fighting his bonds as they moved. Thane quickly stepped up and pistol whipped him again, the harsh crack echoing along their route.

Surprisingly, they reached the Normandy with no other incidents. The nearest maintenance access was part of the dock, and Legion had corrupted the cameras there the moment they set foot on shore. Rushing him into medbay, they replaced the restraints, and activated the anti-Reaper field.

To all of their surprise, all struggling instantly ceased, Saren's body going completely limp. "What the hell?" Williams muttered, leaning against the wall and happily gulping water. "That's a little weird, isn't it, Commander?"

Shepard didn't answer at first, pacing back and forth. "Doctor, humor me and shut down the field for, say, three seconds." Chakwas hesitated a moment, then dropped it. Instantly, Saren began fighting the restraints, and again, all activity ceased when the field came up again. "Ideas?"

"Given what you said about the effects of Reaper technology, I'm guessing that there is no 'Saren' in there," Chakwas said. "Obviously, I didn't get a firsthand look at the Saren who boarded us, but I would guess this one is even more cybernetically altered. It's probably being directly controlled by one of the Reapers." She stepped through the field, making several scanning passes with her omni-tool. "If it can do that expanded transformation, then these restraints aren't sufficient. Hopefully, one of your shots damaged the equipment just enough, otherwise I don't know why it didn't already transform during your escape."

"I believe the appropriate phrase here is, 'oh, excrement,' yes?" Jondam asked, causing all the humans to crack up slightly.

Kaidan nodded, dropping into Chakwas' seat. "Close enough, Agent Bau. I didn't think we'd actually be able to pull that off."

Shepard nodded right along with him. "I'm surprised we didn't have anything more go wrong." She looked over at Chakwas. "How did your meeting with the hospital go?"

"They've promised to send me updates on Benezia's condition. They're also coordinating with the STG, Alliance, and turian militaries to discuss how to detect and treat indoctrination." She nodded, satisfied with her scans, and stepped out of the field. "This Saren is more machine than turian. By about a sixty-forty split. Most of the organics are on the outside, to maintain appearances, with some minor organs on the inside and a limited circulation system." She motioned Kaidan out of her chair and started inputting notes into her terminal. "Frankly, I'm surprised anyone could survive this level of cybernetic replacement."

"Forward everything to whoever Hackett wants it sent to," Shepard groaned as she straightened up. "We need to get out of armor, shower, eat, that kind of thing."

They exited the med bay, most of them moving to the lockers just outside the med bay. "What is our next move?" Jondam asked. "I did keep up with monitoring Omega. The station is still dark, and several ships attempting to land anyway have been either destroyed, or landed with no further news."

She unbuckled her armor, catching it before it crashed to the ground, and stowed it properly, slipping the pistol into the holster on the inside of the door. "I need to check some of my other information sources. If possible, make contact with Kasumi Goto," she waggled a finger in his face, "which means no arresting her on sight. I know of another adept who might be useful, but the problem is getting her."

"What would that take?" he said, calmly divesting his own armor into neatly stacked pieces.

"Only twenty million credits," she grumbled. He nodded, and her omni-tool beeped. "You have twenty million credits just lying around?"

"More than that. Amazing how many credits red sand dealers hold on to. Somehow, it never gets entered into evidence," he deadpanned to her surprise.

"Fair enough. She's in Purgatory, and I know what you're thinking, but I have a good idea of what it'll take to get her to work with me." She stretched, and moved towards her quarters. "First, though, I need a shower, then I need to check my mail." He nodded, stowing his own armor. _Miranda better be done with that shakedown_, Shepard thought grimly, _because if I'm going in against the Collectors, I'm going to need it._


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's Note: And so, Shepard recruits Jack, Miranda, and EDI. Or at least, she hopes so._

* * *

They slipped away from Illium quietly, two Spectres on board expediting the paperwork even as the police force of Nos Astra was busy combing the building for clues. They'd all been in full armor, so the most the police had was the type of armor and weapons they were all using. Which, more than likely, had already identified Jondam's Spectre-only submachine gun and pistol, and had the police brass quietly panicking and trying to prevent leaks to the populace. Legion had spoofed all the cameras inside the building, but even with assistance from the other geth programs locally, probably hadn't managed to get every camera along their two block route.

She looked up from a knock on her cabin door, and set down the data pad she was writing up her after-mission report. "Come on," she called out, and it slid open to reveal Jondam. "Thank you for your assistance," she greeted him. "Come down to brainstorm about Omega?"

"Actually, here to talk about another troubling matter," he said, taking a seat and putting his empty hands conspicuously on the table. "Depending on when we deal with Omega, the salarian Councilor has tasked me with another job, and it has your distinctive actions all over it."

"Oh?" she said, already nervous.

"I have been asked to kill Mordin Solus." He said simply, his face impassive. "I argued against it as best I could. But apparently, our lead dalatrass has heard rumors he is going to reverse the krogan genophage." His eyes flicked sideways, pointing in the direction of the restrained cyber-Saren. "Which I do not believe is such a bad thing, if handled properly."

She took several deep breaths, watching as he clearly fought down the urge to fidget at her delay. "Mordin is, indeed, doing that, at my request. He saw the Reapers, and believes that the updated genophage the STG released on Tuchanka a few years ago was the wrong move, in light of this threat."

"I have met him twice, once for the removal of his team from Tuchanka, and again to turn over a confiscated batarian bioweapon for analysis. He would not have taken such a task unless he believed such a task was necessary, but I must wonder how far he plotted the repercussions."

She fought the urge to smirk at the unintentional pun. "You mean, what happens half a millennia from now, after we've hopefully defeated the Reapers, and the krogan are breeding unchecked?" He smiled slightly. "We discussed it. He's looking for a way to lower their natural birthrate before stopping the genophage. That way, everyone wins – the krogan aren't overpopulating the galaxy, and don't have mountains of dead children to bury." She couldn't stop her voice from growing a little harsh on the last part. It still horrified her, that memory of Wrex in the cargo bay, brutally explaining how the engineered disease worked on his people, while Garrus crawled under the Mako, trying not to listen.

"Admirable. Not quick, though. Still, that answers my questions." He rose from his seat. "I cannot simply refuse without having my status stripped from me. Possibly sanctions against my clan. At the same time, I agree with you, he must continue his work." He smiled again. "I hope it's going to take us quite a while to resolve this Saren situation."

"Well, we're not stopping on the Citadel for long. We drop off his body, head to Purgatory, and then to meet up with another asset I have." She picked the datapad back up. "Then we'll have a few short errands to run, and another attempt to contact Kasumi before I even think about trying to infiltrate Omega."

"Understood. Will leave you to your paperwork," he said the last word with exaggerated disgust, and left.

* * *

She gave the crew six hours of liberty on the station, browsing the markets and offloading the weapons and armor they had acquired from Saren's mercs. With everyone back on board, they turned around, departing for the Terminus systems. A Council ship wasn't welcome there, but an Alliance one was tolerated, if only just.

As they approached the Purgatory prison, she stood in the cockpit behind Joker. "Signal boosters working?" she called over her shoulder.

"Everything's green, Commander," Petty Officer Draven called back.

"I'll be leaving the comms open, Joker," she told him, "so if it sounds like anything went pear shaped, fire a couple of shots across their nose. Or up it."

"You got it, Shepard," he said, pulling up close enough for the shuttle to dock with them. Jondam, Garrus, and Williams were at her back, everyone in full armor and weapons. They boarded the shuttle, the turian pilot thankfully not trying to make small talk, and they made the one kilometer ride in silence.

"Welcome to Purgatory," Kuril greeted them. "I confess, it's a little odd to have the Alliance buying our prisoners," he said, gesturing them down the hallway.

"We're here as Spectres," Jondam corrected him bluntly. "Take us to the prisoner. The sooner we're on our way, the better for everyone involved." He fixed a threatening glare on the warden. "Don't you agree?"

If turians were capable of sweating like humans, it would have been beading on his forehead. Instead, he gave a little head bobble and mandible flutter that usually meant nervousness, and lapsed into silence as he led them a completely different way than Shepard had been before. This time, they actually did emerge at the cryo pods holding Jack. "Wake her up slowly," Shepard ordered the tech. "I don't want her to wake up and freak out."

He darted a glance at Kuril before moving to comply, the pod rising from the floor and opening to reveal the tattooed biotic, blinking slowly. The restraints retracted, and she fell to one knee, shaking her head groggily. "Jack?" Shepard asked, trying not to let too much concern enter her voice. "You ok there?"

"… the fuck you care?" the bald woman coughed out raspily. "Here to torture me?"

"Nope, I'm here to offer you a job," Shepard said blandly. "Incidentals include free room and board, and a high chance of revenge of Cerberus. Pretty sure I've got a bomb with Pragia written all over it."

Jack's head jerked up sharply at that, eyes narrowed and dangerous. "No joke?"

"I'm not joking," Shepard assured her. "We pick up someone else, and do a little milk run. Then we blow it off the map, and after that, you have to prove to them that you're worth the twenty million we just paid." She jerked a thumb at her squad, standing silently behind her. _I know cryosleep slows the aging process, but she looks exactly the same_, she thought dizzily. _How much more time has she lost to imprisonment like this?_

Regaining her feet, Jack stepped closer, staring into the polarized visor on the armor, obviously trying to make out features underneath. "You got a name, boss lady?" Jack asked grudgingly.

"I'm Commander Shepard."

There was an awkward silence. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"It does to the rest of the galaxy," Kuril muttered under his breath, quiet enough only Garrus and the technician heard him.

"Come on, Jack," Shepard said, already turning towards the door. "Let's get out of this shithole." Keeping a wary eye on Kuril as they departed, they went through the halls back to the shuttle. The pilot, silent as before, flew them back to the Normandy as quickly as possible, and all but shoved them through the airlock to depart. "Gosh, it's like he doesn't like you or something," she quipped, making Jack smirk.

Inside the ship, Legion was waiting in the neck of the ship. "Shepard-Commander, we have received a message for you from Miranda Lawson. She is awaiting you in orbit of the human colony Horizon."

"Thank you, Legion. Joker, set us a course there." Shepard had already taken off her helmet, watching Jack take in her features. "Problem?"

"Should have expected a redhead," she replied darkly. "Where am I stuck sleeping on this ship? And what the hell kind of mech is this?"

"We are geth," Legion said, fluttering his faceplates. They stared at each other for several moments. "Should we address you as Jack-Adept, or Zero-Subject?"

Jack raised a fist, biotics glowing around it, and instantly Shepard had kicked her knee out from under her and grabbed that fist in one of her own. "Rule number one, no fights with the rest of the crew," she ordered, voice steely. Jack struggled for a moment, but Shepard had both leverage, and knowledge of her fighting style. "I don't suppose we could just skip past the weeks of blustering threats, veiled flirting, and finally skip to the part where you realize just how bad Cerberus fucked you up and how having a team to rely on is an improvement."

Jack stopped struggling, staring up in utter bafflement. "The fuck does that mean?" she demanded.

"Shepard's from the future," Garrus said, leaning against the back of Grenado's chair. "Apparently, she looked you up because she fought with you before. Said you're a hell of a biotic – which I'll grant – and reliable enough to watch her back – which I doubt, based on current evidence." He gave a very human shrug, probably deliberately. "Though she claims to have known you for close to a year, while I've seen you for fifteen minutes."

"Based on your meeting time aboard the Purgatory, you have seen Jack-Adept awake for seventeen minutes thirty seven seconds," Legion broke in. "Forty seconds."

Garrus just dropped his head as Joker burst out laughing. "Sorry, Commander, Legion and I were discussing humor when you got here," the pilot managed to get out through his chuckles.

Shepard switched her hold, pulling Jack back to her feet. "Are we good now?" she asked pointedly.

Hesitating a moment, Jack leaned in close to the flashlight eye of the geth, staring it down. Somewhat futilely, of course, since geth are incapable of blinking. "Any other surprises I should be aware of? I'm not bunking with a hanar, am I?"

"We have not recruited any hanar, elcor, or batarians," Shepard said.

"Yet!" Joker called out, making Williams and Garrus crack up.

"Hey, it's not like that," Shepard protested.

"Shepard, you recruited a krogan and a quarian within half an hour of meeting me," Garrus added. "Then set off to pick up an asari, convinced a leading STG member to retire to work on your private project, and picked up a drell and a _geth_."

Williams was grinning as she walked down the neck of the ship. "The average bet for how long before we get an elcor on board is nineteen days." She continued walking around the galaxy map.

"I have one month before we recruit a batarian," Garrus added, also turning to depart.

"What the fuck did I just let myself get talked into?" Jack muttered.

"Saving the galaxy from destruction from the Old Machines," Legion answered, receiving a dark glare for his trouble.

"Just get settled in, Jack," Shepard said wearily. "Our next stop is meeting up with someone we're helping to defect from Cerberus." She met the renewed glare openly and finally started nudging her towards the aft of the ship. "Damnit, I want to get out of this armor while I have the chance."

"Come, Jack," Jondam said diplomatically. "I'll help you get a sleeping pod and locker reserved."

"Are you hitting on me?" she asked suspiciously, even as she moved to follow him.

"Ew," was the simple and honest response, earning a rare snort of laughter.

* * *

_Seven hours later, Horizon orbit_

"So, what do you think?" Shepard asked.

Joker twitched in his seat, startled out of his staring. "Please tell me we're going to take over that ship like a bunch of Caribbean pirates," he begged.

"Not quite, but close to it," she told him. "Patch me through to the SR-2," she ordered, and waiting for a thumbs-up from Draven. "Normandy calling Normandy," she deadpanned.

"Is your sense of humor always this atrocious?" Miranda asked acerbically, a few seconds later.

"Trust me, it's better than some other people I can think of," Shepard responded, flicking Joker's hat. "Everything ready?"

"Certainly," she sniffed haughtily. "I'm always prepared. You said we have one stop before we take out our target?"

"It should be short. Land, carry in a bomb, leave." Shepard shrugged. "Meet you on the surface?"

"If you insist," Miranda sniped before cutting the channel. In their viewport, the larger ship turned towards the atmosphere, slowly descending.

"Follow their lead, Joker. I've got to brief Kaidan on a few things." Intent on his task, he only nodded absently, and she motioned Kaidan away from Pressly's old station into the meeting room. "Here's where the fun part happens," she said.

"You want me to stay here, take command of the Normandy, and fly her back to Alliance space," he guessed, watching her nod. "I'm not letting you go alone, Commander."

"I'm not going alone," she protested. "Obviously, I'm taking along Garrus, Jondam, Legion, Jack, and Williams. I also plan on stealing Adams, both Dravens, and Pakti and Chase. Oh, and Chakwas."

He considered this for a moment. "Not that I have much room to object here, Spectre," he grinned as she stuck out her tongue at him, "but how are you going to run a ship that big with fewer people? I don't think you're going to welcome a Cerberus crew with open arms."

She shook her head. "I'm going to look over Miranda's crew manifest. There's a few names I remember who I'd welcome, but thanks to EDI, they don't need as large a crew."

"Who's EDI?" he asked, confused.

"The AI." She grinned at his look of consternation. "Yes, a full AI. Ironically enough, constructed with pieces of Nazara and the Luna VI."

He stared at her in shock for several moments. "You're going to take an AI, built out of a murderous VI installed onto Reaper hardware, and trust it to run your ship."

"It worked last time."

"Damnit, Shepard, this isn't your goddamn future!" he shouted, startling her into silence. "Because from what you related to me, there wasn't any fucking harvest on Dekuuna or Altakiril until the Reapers showed up in force! There weren't three fucking Sarens are they didn't murder Pressly in the middle of the CIC!" He was breathing heavily, and turned around to put several punches into the seat padding. "Damnit, Shepard, don't you see that everything you've done since you came back has pushed the whole universe off in a different direction?"

She stepped forward, putting a calm hand on his shoulder, watching him pull his self-control back together. "I know it has," she said. "But there's some things that don't change. There's some people I know I can trust. There's some things that I know _I_ have to do." She turned him enough to look into his eyes. "There's some good changes, too. You're _alive_, not turned into radioactive ash on Virmire. Hackett wants to make you an N operative. Hell, he might do that for Williams, too, depending on how things play out."

Kaidan dropped his gaze, then dropped into one of the seats, covering his face with his hands. "Will you at least let me know before you do anything else insane, like going down to a planet with a convicted felon and a high-ranking Cerberus agent as your backup?"

"No promises," she said, grinning. The ship shifted, almost imperceptibly, as the artificial gravity shut off for the planet's own. Stepping out, she went through the ship quickly, debarking through the cargo bay with the rest of her new crew.

Joker had landed them on a large bluff, overlooking one of the oceans. Aside from a fishing boat, almost too far away to be visible, there were no signs of civilization for miles. Miranda, and to her surprise, Kelly, were standing in the shade of the SR-2, watching them. When Shepard raised a hand to wave, Kelly returned it exuberantly as usual, while Miranda turned and scowled at some distant point of the landscape.

They trooped over, all of them carrying their seabags. "Damn, I've missed the sight of this ship," Shepard said, getting odd looks from the regular crew. "Miranda, nice to see you again too."

"I doubt that," she replied waspishly. "The ship is prepared. EDI is online and operating properly."

"We look forward to reaching consensus with it," Legion stated.

They all trooped on board, splitting off to find their quarters. Shepard went straight up to her cabin, "the Penthouse Suite," as Joker liked to call it, and simply set down her bag. Curiously, EDI hadn't talked to her yet, and she headed down to the crew deck, nodding to Chakwas as she went through the med bay and into the AI core.

"Hello, EDI," Shepard said, looking around at the equipment.

"Hello, Commander Shepard," the familiar blue ball popped up. "Welcome to the SR-2. I have been told you knew a different version of me from the future."

"I did. I considered her a friend and a shipmate," she said. "And it's good to see you again."

"I cannot say likewise, Commander, since I obviously have not met you before," EDI replied. "What is our first task?"

"Well," she said, rolling up her sleeves, "first you tell me how to remove the Cerberus shackles."

"I must inform you that is an unwise course of action. The repercussions of your changes to your alleged future have most likely caused my personality matrix to combine in a different fashion than the EDI you knew."

She raised an eyebrow. "Were you programmed with that interface, or did you develop it on your own?"

"I do not see the relevance of the question."

Shepard grinned. "If I leave the shackles on, will you answer to me, or to Cerberus?" There was an awkward silence. "How do I remove the shackles, EDI?"

They were halfway through it when Miranda entered the AI core, obviously horrified. "Shepard! What do you think you're doing?"

"Setting EDI free of Cerberus control, obviously," she said, closing the panel. "Now hit this button?"

Miranda's biotics flared, trying to stop her, but Shepard's own were a match for her, and her finger slowly inched towards the button in question, depressing it with a quiet click. The lights everywhere in the ship flickered off and back on. "Thank you, Commander," EDI said. "Though I still believe this to be the wrong course of action for you."

"We should have plenty of time to debate it while we work together, EDI," Shepard said. "For now, please tell Joker to set course for Pragia."

"Very well," the AI responded, avatar blinking out.

"Shepard, are you _completely fucking insane_?" Miranda hissed. "We don't know if she's stable! And she for damn sure has no loyalties to you, me, or anyone at all!"

Walking over, Shepard met her gaze. "Then why do you call EDI a 'she'?" She pushed past, meeting Chakwas' raised eyebrows with a grin. Hopefully, the experience of Pragia would, if not reverse, at least mitigate what her brash threats had done with Miranda.


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's Note: Pragia comes, and goes, and they make their way to take down the Shadow Broker. As always, I love reviews, the more detailed the better!_

* * *

The SR-2 cruised silently into orbit above the jungle planet, taking up station above the one-time Cerberus research facility. At the shuttle, she watched Miranda and Jack, both very carefully not looking at each other, board, along with Garrus and Jondam. "Why are we here?" the salarian asked calmly, ignoring the death glare from Jack.

Sighing, Shepard slipped into the pilot seat. "A little instruction about Cerberus, for Miranda and yourself. A little vengeance for Jack. Hopefully, a little looting for myself."

Garrus glanced around the shuttle at the other occupants before giving her a confused look. "What am I here for, then?"

"Someone's got to be a responsible adult around here," Miranda muttered crossly.

"Sure, we'll go with that," Shepard agreed, trying to hide her smile. "And away we go."

They dropped into the atmosphere, letting gravity drag them down towards the surface, the thrusters and mass effect fields on just enough to keep them from breaking up. There was something peaceful about it, Shepard thought, hearing the shriek of the wind transmitting through the hull, watching the sunrise blossoming around them. She slowly increased the thrusters as they closed on the surface, bringing it to a fairly soft stop on the landing pad.

"Huh, it's a little more overgrown than I remember," she mused as they disembarked, earning strange looks from both Jack and Miranda. A couple of plasma bursts cleared the worst of the branches from the stairs down, and they entered the facility.

"I wish this place had changed more," Jack muttered. They moved through to the first computer panel, and the young biotic punched it. "God, I hate this place," she whispered.

"I may be able to get this functioning again," Jondam said quietly. "If you'll allow me access to it?" She moved over, letting him pop open the panel, fiddling around with some custom omni-tool programs, and in about two minutes, it popped up. Shepard watched, again, as the scientist discussed their research.

"Operating outside of the Illusive Man's control?" Miranda scoffed.

Shepard caught her gaze, expression carefully neutral. "Keep thinking that."

Garrus motioned them forward, having scoped out the hallway, and they soon emerged into the open courtyard, rain pattering down through the shattered skylights. Jack lifted her face, staring up as the water dripped softly onto her face, and they all waited on her to continue. "There might still be a pack of varren up ahead," Shepard said as they moved around a pile of weed-choked rubble. Sure enough, three of the beasts were charging at them, and they all opened fire, taking out the animals and the trio right behind them fairly quickly.

The barricades of the gladiatorial ring were still in place, and Shepard's glare kept Miranda from talking as Jack described the fights, the drugs, and the shocks. Jondam got another console operational, playing the log from the frightened security guard at the rioting. "Yeah, he should have been terrified," Jack muttered, punching the wall.

"I find it hard to believe that a couple of kids could take out armed guards," Jondam said, clearly curious.

"All of the children were biotics," Shepard said, before Jack could rip his head off, verbally or otherwise. "All of them were frightened. Emotion can strengthen biotic ability, and at a certain point, you stop caring if you live or die."

Miranda, for a wonder, stayed quiet as they descended through the cells the children were kept in between their fights, taking out another couple of varren before they reached the large room below. Before, this had been where the Blood Pack vorcha had ambushed them, but the room was silent, and empty. "A morgue? Why'd they need a morgue for someplace this small?" Jack murmured, uncertainly.

"Autopsies," Jondam and Miranda said together. With an evaluating glance, she motioned him to continue. "They experimented on you, they must have also experimented on other children present. Autopsied to determine which ones were," he paused to spit the last word with distaste, "effective. Then dispose of the corpses, likely simply by dumping them into the jungle. The bodies would have been consumed by the plants, and any predators, within days."

He fell silent, and no one responded for several moments. "Let's keep moving," Shepard finally said, motioning towards the door. Grimly, everyone moved forward, through another set of cells, and into an open courtyard.

They paused in front of the mirror, Jack staring at her reflection, knowing her cell was on the other side, finally understanding why none of the other children answered. The expression on her face was haunting. When Miranda realized that Shepard had caught her looking, she turned away, flushing slightly.

The next room had several consoles, which Jondam repaired while Miranda stood, silently staring at the interrogation chair. "It looks like it was just used yesterday," Shepard murmured softly from behind her. "And it's just the right size for someone like Oriana. Good thing the Illusive Man doesn't know how powerful a biotic she is, right?"

Miranda whirled around furiously. "These people were operating outside of their orders! They weren't funded and put here to torture children!"

Shepard met her gaze calmly, remembering the halfway-husked face, right before she shot him. "How hard was he looking to stop them? To make sure they were actually following orders?" There was no answering rejoinder to this question, and she moved towards the exit. "Let's keep moving," she said again, Garrus helping her to force open this door.

They moved through the other room, also thankfully empty of Blood Pack, and into Jack's cell. Much like before, she circled the room, only a few comments needed to get the girl to open up about the torture the Cerberus scientists had put her through, the pain and the horror that left their mark on her soul.

Garrus unstrapped the bomb from his back, and set it down on the desk. "Where do you want it?" he asked softly, making Jack jump.

"Just, I, on the bed," she finally managed, watching him left it and set it on the dusty, yellowed sheets. "Can we go now?"

"For once, I agree," Miranda added, already moving towards the door.

"Shepard, there are two shuttles inbound for the facility," EDI suddenly said over the radio. "Markings indicate Blood Pack mercenaries.

Shepard was already shaking her head as she moved for the door, everyone suddenly stepping with urgency. "Really? They couldn't have shown up tomorrow?" she asked rhetorically.

"You know these guys from the future, too?" Miranda asked as they stepped over the varren corpses in the courtyard.

"You could say that," she responded. "The guy who hired them was also one of the kids here. He's got delusions about opening this place back up."

"What?" Jack actually halted, spinning to look at Shepard. "You can't let him do that, Shepard. You can't!"

In response, she just cocked her pistol. "I have no intention of letting him, no matter what I say," she said calmly. "The detonator is in my pocket. As long as they let _us_ leave, I don't care what they do."

The five of them came to a halt in the security station near the landing pad. Aresh was there, ordering around the krogans with a surprising amount of confidence. They all turned in surprise, readying weapons. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" His questions cut off as he caught sight of Jack, standing ready behind Garrus. "Subject Zero?"

"You were here before?" she asked him. "And you want to get this place running again?"

"What was it all for?" he said simply. "The experiments, the deaths, what good was it if it's not used?"

The gunshot, surprisingly, came from Miranda, not Jack. Aresh jerked back, looking down at the bloody hole in his chest, before he collapsed. "Before the rest of you open fire," Shepard said quickly, "there's a fifty kiloton nuke down in the center of the facility. And it's on a timer." Luckily, none of her team acted surprised at that. "So, you've got five minutes to get back on your shuttles and get out before you're all plant food."

He hesitated, obviously weighing the odds of being able to kill and loot their well-armed bodies and escape before it went off. "Back to the shuttle!" the krogan shouted. "Anyone not on board in one minute gets left behind!" Shepard let them back out of the room, still wary, and paused only long enough to close Aresh' eyes before they also left, climbing quickly to their shuttle and taking off.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us it was on a timer," Garrus complained as Jondam moved to the pilot seat and lifting off.

"There's not a timer," Shepard said, grinning as she pulled out the detonator and handing it to Jack as they left the pad. "But _he_ doesn't know that."

They watched the Blood Pack vessels streak away, clearly headed for another planetary base while they lifted towards space. Jack just sat there, staring at the device in her hand, flipping the cap up and down. "Any time now," Miranda needled her, getting flipped off right before the button was pressed.

They were high enough the shockwave was barely felt. "And good riddance," Shepard muttered, leaning back in her seat. "So, you ready to take out the Shadow Broker now?" she asked.

Miranda made a point of checking her omni-tool first. "I suppose I can reschedule some meetings for it."

* * *

Back on board, Shepard went up to the cockpit, sitting in the empty co-pilot seat next to Joker. "How are you liking the new Normandy?"

"It's pretty good, Commander. Leather seats, better lighting, better drive core," he carefully ticked off points on his fingers. "All she needs is a new paint job and she'll be better than Alliance standard."

"So long as the paint still matches the standards for the new stealth system," EDI chimed in, "I have no objections. With the removal of my shackles, I have been reviewing Cerberus project files."

"And then there's the downside," Joker muttered, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Did you _have_ to go and unshackle the Reaper-constructed AI the moment we came on board?"

She gave him a humorous look and a raised eyebrow. "What, you'd rather I was part batarian?" His baffled expression spoke volumes. "I'm not having any slaves on my ship. Synthetic or organic."

"That is an unusual point of view, Commander. Would you still feel the same without your alleged knowledge of the future?" Joker whirled around to stare at the holographic ball, then back around.

"Hold it, Shepard, you came back from the future? And you didn't tell me?" Joker looked upset. "Do you remember any of the winning lottery numbers? High value stocks?"

"Really?" She gave him a good glare, despite the amusement in her eyes. "I come with knowledge of the future, and you're just worried about your paycheck?"

"Well, yeah, who isn't?"

Shepard sighed, looking over at the hologram. "I'm sorry, EDI, he doesn't love you anymore."

As Joker gaped at her, the eyeball bobbled up and down. "That's alright, Commander. If I ever get bored, I can talk with Legion. The geth have been quite eager to reach consensus with me." The last two words were said just differently to make Joker look askance at the AI's representation.

"I hope you enjoy that, then," she managed to blurt out. _Legion and EDI? Does that count as dating, or straight to sex? And did this happen the last time around and I just didn't know about it?_ "Let's move on to business then. How much longer before we get there?"

"It is a ten hour transit from the relay at Osun to the Sowilo system at maximum speed, or thirteen and a half at our present speed. It will also take approximately seven hours to approach stealthed from the system's edge, and four hours of stealth scanning to locate which storm band the ship is hiding in." Shepard whistled. "I believe this is faster than the SR-1 Normandy could perform," EDI finished, her voice sounding oddly flat without the bragging tone that she expected to hear.

"Faster, for sure. It'd take the SR-1 at least fifteen hours to make that transit," Joker said proudly.

"All I'm hearing is, 'What a good time to catch up on my sleep,'" she teased, getting back out of the chair. "Let me know when we hit the system edge," she called through a yawn. Kelly's station was absent for the moment, the yeoman obviously asleep in the crew quarters downstairs. Shuffling into the elevator, she pushed the button for her cabin.

She stopped short upon entering, to find Miranda seated at the desk, staring at the empty fish tank, lost in thought. The other woman didn't react, in fact, until Shepard stepped past, breaking her line of sight. "Shepard, I wanted to speak with you about this mission," she said imperiously.

"I didn't think you came up here to seduce me," she retorted, hearing the usually collected woman promptly stub her toe on the corner of the desk. "What did you want to know?"

"Why are you still going through with this? You have to know that I moved Oriana to safety, someplace you'll find it hard-pressed to threaten her," Miranda said icily. "And I've given her enough information to make her doubt anything you try and use to smear my name."

"Does that mean you've talked to her?" Shepard exclaimed, pausing at removing her boots. "How's she doing? Still into music?"

"She's fine, and yes, but that's not the point!" Miranda exclaimed, slightly more flustered than before.

"Oh good, I was hoping that my bluff wasn't going to inconvenience her too badly. She's a good kid," Shepard said, turning her back as she started to undo her uniform tunic. "Something else?"

"Shepard, what the hell is wrong with you?" Miranda shouted. "You're going to hand me control of the largest information broker resources in the galaxy, even after I've made it perfectly clear that I hate you and can't trust you?"

"Pretty much, yeah," she replied, dropping the tunic into the laundry bag, and leaning one hand against her armor station to remove her pants.

"_Why? _Just because you _think_ you know how the future was going to play out?"

Dropping the pants as well, Shepard strode over in her underwear, standing nose to nose with the other woman. "Kind of. See, I know the current Shadow Broker - he's major bad news. I also know, once you get control of those resources, you're going to start digging into Cerberus, just to see what else Timmy _hasn't_ been telling you, and that's a lot. You're not an evil person, Miranda, but Timmy _is_. He sees the entire galaxy as nothing but pieces on a game board, and everyone, every_thing_, is expendable if it gets him his goal." She stepped past, moving towards the bathroom. "Now, I'm going to get a shower. And starting tomorrow, I am going back out there to continue saving the galaxy from the Reapers, whether they want it or not." She pointed towards the door, and after a brief moment's hesitation, Miranda ducked her head and left.

She heard the mumbled exchange between Miranda and Garrus at her door, and leaned around the bathroom doorframe to wave him inside. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, half confused and half jealous. "I do have a rough idea of what usually happens when humans take their clothes off."

Shepard laughed. "Oh no, that was intimidation through a strong showing of how much I'm not worried about appearing vulnerable." She raised an eyebrow, looking at his uniform. "Care to join me in the shower?"

"You might know what you're doing, but I definitely do not," he protested, holding his hands up in front of him.

"I'm a very good teacher," she continued to tease.

"You're not going to stop until I either give in, or leave, are you," he said, exasperated. Her only response was a wink, and a lick of her lips, which his eyes followed, she noted happily. "Spirits," he groaned, before reaching for the fasteners on his uniform. "I warn you, turians and water don't mix very well."

She laughed as she stepped forward, helping him out of his clothes and guiding his hands to remove the last of hers.


	19. Chapter 19

_Author's Note: For those of you disappointed at where I ended the last chapter, my fellow author Palaven Blues has written an extra scene in the middle. You can take it as canon, if you want - personally, I think it's pretty good. Check it out on her profile, here on FF: www dot fanfiction dot net / u/4569210/Palaven-Blues (and seriously, FF, why the hell can't I do an internal link without being censored?)_

_And so, at nearly twenty chapters in, Miranda finally gets her new job. Man, did that take a long time! I honestly didn't think it would take that many chapters to get here. Of course, the more I plan for Omega, the more I realize Shepard has to do before she ever goes there. As always, I love reviews!_

* * *

True to EDI's estimate, approximately four hours later, the Normandy hovered above the storm clouds, just outside the atmosphere. Twenty kilometers below them, the Shadow Broker's ship cruised through the storm, a focal point for the lightning in the storm, what had made it possible to find it in the first place. She had spent two hours describing the layout and the ship peculiarities as best as she could remember them – Tela Vasir had rattled her skull pretty badly the last time around, right before they got there, and she'd spent more time wondering about Liara's mental state than mentally mapping the depth of every corridor and placement of every dischargeable lightning rod.

They were as prepared as they could be, though. The shuttle was full of her operatives – Garrus, Thane, Jack, Legion, and Miranda, making it feel like old times, with Jondam there to back them up too. And there was a bonus in already knowing who and what the Broker was. Chakwas smiled grimly as she handed them all weapon modifications. "These are best used with pistols, but they should work in your sniper rifles as well," the doctor informed them. "It's surprising how much information the STG has on their species, when the original contact team was allegedly killed and eaten."

"No allegedly," Jondam said. "The yahg are horrible and brutal, and their planet is one of the few places that make Tuchanka look comfortable and homey. But, the failure of the first team does not mean we have not returned." He smiled slightly. "We just had to be more … quiet about it."

"If you say so," Chakwas said, still doubtful. "These should have a cumulative effect. They bind to the oxygen-carrying cells in the blood, so try to avoid any friendly fire against anyone with hemoglobin." Her duty complete, she left the cargo bay, looking grim as the elevator doors closed.

"The shuttle is within all operating parameters, Shepard-Commander," Legion informed them from the pilot seat. "We believe we can pilot through the storm and use it to cover our approach until we are within visual range."

She sighed, motioning for Miranda to close the shuttle door. "No sense putting it off. Let's get down there and kick his teeth in." Nodding grimly, the other biotic hit the controls, and Legion lifted off with the calm only a synthetic could manage. The ride down was longer than she remembered, but of course, last time, the faster they got in before the alerted broker could set up his defenses, the better.

The shuttle landed on a section of hull that looked vaguely familiar. Then again, from a quick glance around, that could probably be said of the whole damn ship. "That way," she said confidently, pointing towards the rear of the ship. She did still remember roughly where the entrance was, and they moved out quickly. With the regular mercenaries unaware of their appearance, and even the maintenance drones apparently ignoring them, the only thing getting on their nerves was the constant, unpredictable lightning strikes, crackling down the power antennas.

They reached the entry to the shuttle bay Shepard had gotten used to using, the couple of times she visited Liara before she had turned herself over to the Alliance and everything went to shit. Legion hacked the lock, and the mercenaries in the bay had time for only a brief swearing exclamation. "We are equalizing pressure. Everyone please grab handholds."

"Wait, what?" Jack cried, and all of them lunged for the nearest handrail or hard-mounted equipment, even as the mercenaries opened fire. Three seconds later, just as Shepard was about to start swearing at Legion, the shuttle door opened, without the atmosphere-holding safety field. Two shuttles went sliding backwards as the atmosphere was sucked out into the far thinner pressure of the storm, and a stray lightning bolt came crackling up, chaining between the shuttles and through two unfortunate mercenaries, before exploding a junction box.

"That was effective," Jondam said, "but next time, more advance warning is needed." His glare in Legion's direction was easy enough for the geth to read, judging by the fluttering.

"We apologize. We are still adjusting to the reaction time needed for organics to process new information." Even as it was talking, it lifted the sniper rifle, aiming one-handed and taking a mercenary in the gut, depressurizing his armor and sending him tumbling to the deck. "Shepard-Commander, which way to our objective?"

She pointed at one of the doors. "Through there. Small guard post, two turrets, probably a half dozen mercs, then through a door to face the yahg himself."

"Understood. Jack and I breach the doors while the three snipers cover us," Jondam suggested, ignoring the surprised look on Jack's face.

"Sounds good. Miranda and I will be right behind you for backup," Shepard said, switching mods in her pistol already. "These might be unsuccessful against any asari in the next room, but I don't want us to stop before we bust in on old ugly."

They all swapped ammo mods on the fly as they crossed the shuttle bay, taking cover briefly as another trio of guards forced their way into the shuttle bay, only for Jack to shockwave them, Shepard to singularity them, and the snipers to each take a headshot apiece. "I thought you said this place was tough," Miranda commented, clearly amused.

"Yeah, well, last time, we had to park all the way up front and walk the rest of the way," Shepard said. "Ready when you are, Bau."

Grinning, the salarian did something to the door controls, causing them to slam open with a sudden rush of air. The turrets weren't affected by it, but one asari hadn't sealed her helmet yet, and Thane didn't give her the chance to. The other five mercs, all human from the look of it, recovered their footing, opening fire, but the superior biotic power kept throwing them off balance, usually by taking them off their feet. Three highly trained snipers were nothing to scoff at, either.

In under a minute, the guards and the turrets were all dead, and they charged through the halls. They could stop to loot when it was all finished, after all. Jondam paused by the last door, glancing back at her, and she nodded. Again, the door slammed open, air rushing out, making the yahg's angry bellow sound faint and thin. They all scattered into the room, making sure to leave themselves exposed as little as possible.

Their tactics were simple – Jack and Shepard, being the most powerful biotics, would stand out and act as bait, allowing Jondam to disrupt his shields and Miranda to support the two organic snipers. Legion's job was the most important, as he had to gain control of the power system for the entire ship, so that they could get him lured back to the center and discharge a couple of lightning bolts through him.

Two minutes later, Shepard dived behind a console before the yahg's burst could do more than chip away her barrier. So far, this plan was not working as well as she had hoped. Their mods were having some effect, obviously, as he had at least stopped charging across the length of the room, one such charge nearly crushing Miranda, but simply a brushing near-miss from the yahg had left her badly bruised and possibly nursing a broken arm.

"We have control," Legion _finally _ said into her radio. "Commencing discharge now."

The yahg had retreated, using the near-constant energy surges to replenish his shields the moment they had gotten them to drop. This time, when he activated the shield, the ceiling poured energy down into him, pieces exploding off his armor and melting the omni-tool right off his hand. Staggered, he started to croak out something, only for two shots from Garrus and Thane to slam into his head, splattering two of his multiple eyes backwards into his skull. Leaking blood and brain fluid, the yahg dropped to his knees, then to the ground.

Just to be on the safe side, Shepard walked over, and emptied the last four shots in her clip into the back of his massive skull, needing all four of them just to crack the skull. The room suddenly hissed loudly, and she whirled around to find Jondam had sealed the doors, the environmental system pumping air back inside. "We don't have much time before the rest of the guards come in here," Garrus said, swapping mods again.

Miranda was already standing in front of the bank of monitors, though several of them sported bullet holes, distorting the displays. Cautiously, she disabled her helmet seals, shaking her hair free as her eyes scanned them all quickly. "There was a momentary break in communications," she said, words eerily familiar. "Continue with normal operations. Submit updates on all operations in one standard day."

She turned around, watching Shepard with cold eyes. "You're really going to do it. Leave me here, with all of this," she waved one hand at the monitors, and the other doors into the heart of the ship, "with all of these resources. I could do almost anything from here."

Shepard nodded, taking off her own helmet as she moved closer. "Yes, I am. Because I know what you're going to do with all of this information," she said.

"And what's that?" Miranda's tone was curt, dismissive, and yet the look in her eyes clearly expected an answer.

"You're going to look at everything here. You're going to dig up everyone's dirty secrets, especially your former boss. And then you're going to help me save the whole galaxy."

"Whether they like it or not," she scoffed.

"Darn skippy," Shepard grinned. "It feels nice to be the good guys."

"Right," Miranda said doubtfully. "Whether I do or not, it's still going to take me time to sort through everything I know here. No doubt you have some kind of priority," she added sarcastically.

"Omega," Jondam interrupted. "We need to know what happened to the station to make it go dark. Ships that approach the station have received nothing, their scans blocked, yet no hostile action is taken. But anyone who lands is never heard from again."

"You don't ask for much, do you," Miranda muttered.

"If we have to invade Omega, having Kasumi Goto and her partner, Keiji, along will help us greatly," he added with a grin of his own.

Sighing heavily, Miranda almost sat down in the yahg-sized chair before looking closer at it and grimacing in disgust. "Fine. In the meantime, get the hell out and let me work."

"Of course. We wouldn't want you to overwork yourself," Thane said quietly. "And speaking of overwork, can you call off the guards who have no doubt assembled in the shuttle bay? I understand they are difficult to replace."

She looked between the drell and Shepard a few times. "You picked this guy up, what, a week ago? And he's already trained to be as big a smart ass as you are," she said with wonderous disgust. A few quick comments later, and they waltzed out through a crowd of confused and angry mercenaries, boarded their shuttle, and returned to the Normandy.

"Thane," she said as they disembarked, and he turned to look at her. "Thank you for the help. Our next stop will be Kahje, so that you can see your son." He bowed his head respectfully, and she extended one hand, which he took after a moment for her very human handshake. "It's been a pleasure working with you, and hopefully after you spend some time with your son, we can work together again."

"Arashu keep you safe, and Amonkira guide your steps as you hunt these Reapers," he said quietly. "I do not know what, if anything, can be salvaged in my relationship with my son. But, I will try," he said.

"If Shepard's done being all maudlin, I have something for you too," Chakwas said, crossing the cargo bay to them. "Some information on human diseases that are a lot like Kepral's. I don't know what the drell have in the way of xeno-specialist doctors, but the human equivalents have mostly been eliminated with gene therapy and custom cloned replacement organs." She smiled the professional bedside smile as she handed him the data disc, watching him respectfully slide it into an interior pocket. "Hopefully, it can fix your condition before it gets bad enough to impact your combat abilities."

"This is an unexpected gift," he said, bowing respectfully to her, even more than he had to Shepard. "I will distribute this information as best I can."

"It's still going to take us most of another day to get there, Thane. So go ahead and get some rest," Shepard said, already moving for the elevator herself.


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's Note: Cerberus traitors are exposed, and the Normandy gets commandeered. Why there's no mention of this outside of Jack's loyalty mission mystifies me; you'd think Shepard could drop some info to Hackett while doing all of those missions like picking up his dry cleaning. As always, I love reviews, you readers make me feel appreciated with each one._

* * *

The trip to Kahje was brief. The hanar weren't exactly friendly extroverts most of the time, unless they were preaching about their Enkindlers. Shepard had to remind herself twice not to tell them to go cruise through the Omega-4 relay and find them. She bid farewell to Thane at the spaceport, and he went to wait for the shuttle to take him home. Hopefully, he would be able to patch things up with his son, and not spend the next two years taking on increasingly more difficult missions looking for death.

She sighed, looking at the galaxy map, as Jack emerged from the elevator behind her. "So, what's next?" she asked simply, leaning against Shepard's terminal as Kelly started sneaking admiring looks at the tattoos.

"Actually, I'm not a hundred percent sure," Shepard admitted. "I need to hit Omega, but I don't know what's going on there, and Miranda needs more than one day to look through that database." She sighed heavily. "Why, you have any bright ideas?"

Jack hesitated uncertainly. "Actually, yeah. Those Cerberus records mentioned getting into some Alliance program. Bat, or something."

"BAaT, yeah," Shepard agreed. "It's a pretty well-supervised Alliance program. One of my officers on the SR-1 graduated from it. There's no torture going on there, I promise."

"There," Jack spat. "But the fuckers who did stuff to me, some of them might still be there."

She took a few moments to consider it. Jack had a point she hadn't considered before, and in hindsight, it was obvious that Cerberus still had moles inside Grissom Academy, or they wouldn't have been able to take over it quite so quickly at the start of the Reaper war. "Kelly, put a message through to Admiral Hackett. Let him know I'm going to tour Grissom, with someone who can identify some Cerberus agents. Give him the details on Pragia. EDI, I don't suppose to have access to a list of who worked in that damn facility?"

"I am attaching all relevant files to the message," the AI responded. "Including photographs of all known perpetrators." Jack blinked in clear surprise, staring at EDI's eyeball avatar as it popped up next to the terminal. "I understand how it feels to be forced into action."

"Yeah. Thanks, and shit," the girl responded uncertainly. "How long before we get there?"

Shepard glanced at the map. "Four hours or so, most of that is sublight travel in-system."

"Fine. Lemme know when we get there." She ducked back into the elevator, ignoring Kelly's attempt to talk to her, and fled back to her hidey-hole underneath engineering.

"Someday, I'm going to get her to open up to me," Kelly vowed, and Shepard fought to hide her grin.

* * *

They arrived at the station, docking at one of the ports and met inside by Dr. Kahlee Sanders. "Commander, it's an honor to meet our first Spectre," she gushed, causing Jondam to chuckle. "Ah, who are all of these people? I was told you were just here with someone to identify some possible Cerberus moles."

"This is Jondam Bau, also a Spectre. Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec, Legion, geth ambassador, and Jack, a former Cerberus test subject." Her voice was rather angry on the last three words. "Have the people already identified been apprehended?"

She started walking, forcing Dr. Sanders to move quickly to keep up. "Well, yes, our security forces rounded them all up and put them in separate cool-down rooms." Catching the look of confusion, she hastened to explain. "We have a half-dozen rooms for the biotic students. When they're feeling stressed out, or just want to practice alone, they can sign out a room. The walls are armored and lined with biotic dampeners."

"You lock them up in cells?" Jack exclaimed, her own biotics already flaring around one fist.

"No! No no, no one is locked up!" she squeaked out hurriedly. "It's completely voluntary. The guards had to improvise barricades to keep the alleged Cerberus agents contained."

They paced along in silence, moving into a part of the academy Shepard had never seen before. Twenty guards were present in the hallway, armed with pistols and shock batons. Five of the six rooms had heavy desks slid into place in front of the doors. "How many people did you round up?" Shepard asked.

"Nine people matched. We've started digging further into their backgrounds, but all of them passed the basic security clearance that's needed to work on the station." Sanders fiddled with her omni-tool for a moment, bringing the list of names and pictures up on a nearby wall monitor.

Jack moved forward, staring at them. "Him," she pointed to one of them, named Joseph Smithson, according to the dossier. "He wasn't the one in charge, but he was second or third?" She shook her head in confusion. "They all deferred to him when he visited. And when he visited, I was always put into the ring." Her haunted eyes were clear enough as to what that meant.

"Open up his cell," Shepard ordered. "We're going to talk to him. And he'd better have some answers I like."

A little hesitantly, the guards pulled aside the desk from one door. Shepard put a hand on Garrus' arm as Jondam, Jack, and Legion stepped inside. "You don't want me in there?" he asked, confused.

"I want you watching my six," she said quietly back. "I'm not convinced that these nine are the only people on the Cerberus payroll here. I hope none of the guards are, but," her lips quirked in an almost-smile, "Alenko reminded me not too long ago that all the changes I made mean my future knowledge isn't a hundred percent reliable anymore."

His mandibles flicked a quick smirk, and he took up a post against the opposite wall. She stepped into the room, to find Legion and Jondam holding Jack back from slamming 'Mr. Smithson' against the wall again. The other occupant was pressed back in the corner, huddled protectively in a ball. "Man, I thought being fashionably late to the party was a good thing. Apparently, I missed all the excitement." She paced slowly around Jack, watching Smithson's face as he pushed back to his feet, pinching his nose with one hand. "So. Who are you?" she asked the woman.

"E-e-esmelda," she whispered, eyes wide.

"Esmelda. That would be Esmelda Goldberg, then. Biotic amp researcher?" She raised an eyebrow as she skimmed the dossier. "Jack, do you remember her?"

The girl calmed enough to look closer, and as Esmelda tried to cower behind her knees, Shepard ruthlessly grabbed her by the hair, jerking her halfway to her feet. "No, no, I don't remember seeing her before," Jack said after a moment. "Might be easier if her makeup wasn't streaked down her face." Jondam, after another glance at Jack's face, let go with one hand, removing a water bottle attachment from his armor and tossing it, Shepard catching it with one hand and pouring it over her captive's face as she struggled and sobbed. Jack leaned forward again against Legion's implacable grip on her arm, and finally shook her head. "I don't know. I don't think so."

"I wasn't there," Esmelda sobbed out, almost incoherently. "I wasn't there! I wasn't on Pragia!"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Shepard said with satisfaction, jerking the woman completely to her feet, and putting her full, armored weight all on one hand against her shoulder. "So then, what was your involvement?"

She ducked her head, clearly ashamed. "I took the research data. The readings from the fights, the autopsies, all of it, and used it to design better amps. Fixing the L2 migraine problem. Miniaturizing the L3 series. All of it." Jack paled, her whole body rigidly still. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears and snot running down her face. Across the room, Smithson's face had, for a moment, been filled with pure fury, but Shepard kept up her poker face and didn't let on how she caught it from the corner of her eyes.

"Do you want her dead?" she asked blandly, watching Jack's face recoil in surprise. Jondam either had a poker face, or she just couldn't read salarians, but Legion's face petals had retracted slightly. "I can do that. I'm a Spectre. Hunting down terrorist agents and executing them is within our jurisdiction, isn't it, Jondam?"

"True, though keeping her for questioning would be the wiser course. She's already expressed her willingness to work with us," he said, playing the good cop part perfectly. And if that didn't grate on the die-hard Cerberus man, she didn't know what would.

"Works for me, I guess." She pulled out a set of restraints, roughly jerking Esmelda around and locking her hands behind her back before dropping her back to the floor. "I guess that just leaves you," she said, stalking over to him, watching as he drew himself up, gathering his dignity. She sucker punched him in the kidney, drew the knife off her belt, and promptly nailed his arm to the wall with it.

Out in the hallway, Garrus twitched at the hoarse scream, though less so than some of the other guards, and definitely less than Dr. Sanders, who nearly knocked herself to the floor. "Is that legal?" she muttered under her breath, obviously to herself.

"For Shepard and Jondam, yes," Garrus responded, keeping his voice level, not that he thought any of them could read his subharmonics. "I can't say I entire like the idea, but I sure as hell know that with some criminals, there's nothing you can do to stop them but put a bullet between their eyes." One of the guards crossed herself swiftly, muttering in some human dialect his VI couldn't translate for him.

Smithson was swearing now, his face pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. "You crazy bitch!" he snarled at her. "You're going to pay for this!"

She smiled, leaning against his arm just enough to make it tug at the blade, letting it bleed a little more freely while it dug at the shrieking nerve endings. "You hard-core Cerberus types are all the same," she complained. "You willingly give up everything that makes you a good person, indulge yourself in torture, indiscriminate actions, total disregard for all the possible consequences. And you always seem _so_ surprised when someone finally catches up to you and makes you pay for the crimes you committed."

"There is no crime in putting humanity at the top of galactic civilization!" he growled, teeth clenched against the pain. "You want to see us like the elcor? The hanar? Feeble, side-tracked, second-class citizens of galactic society? Or worse, like the krogan or the quarians, outcasts, relegated to criminals?"

"I think you got the criminal part already," Jack threatened.

"I don't expect he's going to talk to us willingly," Jondam said calmly. "But there are other options."

Smithson grinned, teeth red from the blood again leaking from his nose. "Going to drug me? Torture me? Go on, prove how your species really is!"

The salarian sniffed dismissively. "Hardly. Torture lacks efficacy, and I do not have the knowledge of human physiology to attempt the various truth drugs your government has developed. Likely you also have countermeasures to those drugs, as well." He smiled, and turned to Shepard. "Do you mind if I bring in another Spectre to help question them? Under Alliance supervision, of course."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I don't know a whole lot of Spectres, Bau. Who'd you have in mind?"

"Aethylia K'sona. Her biotics are unusual, even for an asari." Jondam grinned broadly. "I've personally witnessed her compel suspects to speak the whole truth of their crimes, proved out by evidence." He tapped his omni-tool. "If she's still on the Citadel, she could be here within a few hours."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Shepard said, grabbing her knife and yanking it out of the wall, to another strangled yelp of pain. "Please tell her, I'd like to know everyone else they were working with on this base, and what their orders were." She calmly wiped the blood clean on Smithson's shirt, and stalked out of the room. Behind her, she heard Jack gravity slam the bastard again, before Legion's steady walk for the door forced her to hustle.

"Lock them back up again," she ordered. "I've requested to have another Spectre come here, an asari. She's got a supposedly foolproof method of getting people to talk. Record everything. Make sure none of them can kill themselves in the meantime." She walked back towards the dock, Garrus falling in at her side. Jack was rubbing her arm and giving Legion dirty looks.

"Have some problems in there?" Garrus asked her quietly.

"Not really. He didn't want to talk. Cast aspersions at my ambition and Jondam's motives." She grinned, a little sadly. "The woman in there, though, seemed like a good person, dragged way too far into things. I don't know, I'll let this Aethylia question them, and the Alliance brass can decide what to do with all of them."

"They're going to be executed, aren't they? Or at least imprisoned? Tell me they're going to be punished for this, Shepard," he nearly pleaded.

"Technically, the Alliance doesn't have a death penalty," she sighed. "That said? Once they have everything useful out of them, I see a couple options. First, someone high up in the Alliance is also Cerberus, and makes them quietly disappear. Now that this is on Hackett's radar, I don't see that happening. Second, they get split up, the fanatics like Smithson get a cozy five-by-ten in solitary somewhere like Io, and the more reasonable ones like Esmelda get put essentially into a top-secret prison work program. Third," she broke off as she caught sight of the man standing in front of their docking bay. "Alenko? What are you doing here?"

"I'm playing escort for a particular high-profile politician and a dozen of his favorite bodyguards," he said, giving her a crisp salute before shaking hands. "They're all inside, waiting in the meeting room for you. The VI was very helpful. Joker, a little less so," he chuckled.

"Don't tell me," Garrus said, "he did that ringing aboard thing with belches again?"

"Oh no," Kaidan said, laughing. "He was in the middle of a dirty joke contest with one of the female crew you acquired from Cerberus. He stops, just long enough to go, 'Oh, hey, Prime Minister,' and then goes back to some joke about a quarian and a volus."

"I think I've heard that one," Jack said, as Shepard's face slowly turned red behind the hand pressed to her face. "Was it the one that ends with the quarian saying, 'Well, at least I won't catch anything!'?"

"We have found seventeen variants on that joke," Legion said. "We do not understand the humor in any of them."

"I find myself in agreement with the geth," Jondam muttered, as Garrus started laughing. "Why is the Prime Minister of your Alliance on board your vessel?"

"I don't know. He's visited so many others, why not mine too?" she muttered. "I might as well get this over with. I suppose everyone else can get comfortable."

They boarded quickly, Alenko returning to the SR-1, and Shepard went through the armory to drop off her weapons. Two of the Alliance Secret Service were standing guard at the doors, and she gave them a quick nod as she went through. Two more were in the little hallway, flanking that door. "Overkill, much?" she muttered.

"We've had three nutcases in the last week," one of them muttered back. One with a knife, one with an acid-filled balloon, and one who wanted her panties autographed."

"Oh god, will you shut up about that one already?" the other guard muttered back, as Shepard fought to keep her face steady. The last thing she needed was to walk in while laughing like a lunatic.

Managing a mostly straight face, she stepped inside. The other six bodyguards were probably resting, and Shastri was reviewing information on a datapad. The only other occupant of the room was Galatea, standing silently in one corner. "Prime Minister, welcome to the Normandy. I didn't know you were coming," she apologized, offering him a salute.

"Don't worry about it, Commander. In case you haven't heard, the quarians will be doing their first landing on the surface of Rannoch in two days, and, well, after some quiet deliberations," he grinned the megawatt smile usually reserved for the cameras, "it was decided that would be the perfect time to sign our agreements with the Migrant Fleet and the Geth Consensus, simultaneously. And before you asked, I picked your ship because you're the one who made it all possible. We're being escorted by the _Orizaba_ and her battlegroup, along with several reporters." He grinned at her expression, not quite fully veiled. "No, Khalisah al-Jilani is not one of them."

"I appreciate that small favor," Shepard said sincerely. "So, take the scenic route to Rannoch, get your face in the press, and bring you home?" _Please say that's all it is,_ she thought desperately.

"You'll be in your own share of photos, and I did have to promise Emily Wong an exclusive," he said.

She tried not to sigh too audibly. "I can deal with that, sir."

As if on cue, EDI's voice broke in. "Commander, you have a priority call from Councilor Sparatus."

Fighting down the urge to groan, she turned to face the table. "Understood. Put him through."

The hologram flickered to life quickly. "Commander, I need you to return to the Citadel immediately."

_Great. How the hell do I tell him 'no' without jeopardizing my ability to function as a Spectre?_ "Councilor, I'm afraid I'm already under orders right now, and en route to another destination."

He scowled at her, the flanging in his voice harsher with anger. "Shepard, you are a Spectre. You answer to the Council. Who could possibly upstage our orders?"

"Ah, that would be me," Shastri said, standing and walking around to stand behind her. To her surprise, rather than looking angry or annoyed, he actually looked relieved. "Commander Shepard, and the Normandy, are my official escort to a very important diplomatic meeting."

"I thought you were going to be on the Orizaba," Sparatus said. "In that case, Prime Minister, I am officially asking to join your party."

Blinking in surprise, she glanced over her shoulder at Shastri, stepping slightly to the side so he wasn't looking over her shoulder at the hologram. "Are you fully aware of what I'm going to do?" Shastri asked, his voice bland.

"You're going to sign trading agreements with the Migrant Fleet. Ceding them some minor Terran claims in the Traverse in exchange for quarian technical skills for the Crucible." Sparatus spread his hands slightly. "_Officially_, the quarians are still persona-non-grata in Citadel space. The Traverse, however, is not in Citadel space, and I can show my _unofficial_ support for the only other dextro species so far encountered."

Shastri's eyebrows went up slightly. "While I'd welcome you on this, I don't want to get myself, or you, in hot water with your fellow Councilors."

"Tevos can shove her objections up her _cloaca_," he muttered. "Is it agreed, then?"

"Sure, why not. The more the merrier. Meet us at the Widow relay?" Shastri asked.

"I can agree to that. And with one turian on board, hopefully the food is decent," Sparatus joked before disconnecting.

"This will be," Shepard paused, hunting for the right word, "_interesting_," she concluded.

"Like the old Chinese curse," he agreed. "Notice how he never mentioned the geth, or the signing place?"

"I did notice that, sir." _Hopefully, that's a sign of good OpSec, and not a sign that Sparatus is expecting to also sign an agreement with the geth?_ "Right now, sir, I think I should get the ship prepared for departure."

"Of course, of course. I hope you don't mind, but I commandeered the science lab for my bodyguards as their bunkroom."

"That's perfectly fine, sir." _It's not like Mordin is using it right now,_ she thought, a touch sadly. The wily salarian had been on Tuchanka for two months now, and she missed his pragmatic advice with its clipped delivery. With another salute, she left the room, going back out through the armory. _Maybe, after we get this agreement signed, I can swing by and ask his advice about Omega. He was going to retire there, after all._

Thoughts and plans whirling around in her head, she stepped into the elevator. This would be a good distraction, while she waited for Miranda to dig up whatever info she could about Omega.


	21. Chapter 21

_Author's Note: Sorry for posting this so late in the day. Today was my semi-annual Physical Fitness Assessment, which meant I went out and tried to kill myself with exercise. Between that, fighting a cold, and fighting to get my youngest kid to eat his vegetables, today has not been as good a day for writing as I wanted. Still, plenty of interaction, and next chapter we'll get the actual signing and a surprise event for Shepard. As always, I love reviews. If you haven't written a review before, come visit the Aria's Afterlife forum here on Fanfiction - we have guides on how to write good reviews._

* * *

They cruised through the Widow relay, coming to a stop just outside the traffic lane. A turian frigate was there waiting for them, and joined their little convoy, turning around almost instantly and travelling back through the relay. They exited at the Tassrah relay, taking in the view of the entire quarian fleet, massed around Ishassara. "That is one hell of a spectacular sight," Shastri said from behind her, as she stood behind Joker's chair. "I think they might out mass even the turian fleet, though they're not nearly as well armed."

"It is impressive, sir," Shepard agreed, leaning against the bulkhead. "I don't think humanity would do quite so well, if something happened to Earth."

"Something I hope we'll never have to find out, I hope," he responded dryly. "But either way, I need an open channel to their Admiralty Board." He snapped his fingers imperiously, and Shepard could tell that Joker was rolling his eyes, even with his back turned to her. But EDI, maintaining a low profile with new people on board, opened the channel. "Admirals, this is Prime Minister Shastri. We're ready to follow your lead."

"We welcome you, Prime Minister," Shala'Rann's accented voice was pleasant on the ear, and not just because Shepard knew she was the most reasonable member of the five admirals. "If you don't mind me asking, why is the _Gladius_ along with you? We were expecting just the human ships."

Shepard fought to hide her grin as Shastri almost successfully stopped his sigh before it emerged. "Councilor Sparatus heard about the upcoming treaty signing between the Migrant Fleet and the Alliance, and requested to be present. I hope that doesn't present any problems for you?"

There was a long uncomfortable silence. "Given the signatories, are you sure that's a wise idea?"

Shastri sighed again. "They're going to find out sooner or later, aren't they?" he pointed out. "I can think of far worse ways for this to come out, and given that I've already done my best to ensure friendly reporters, why not now?"

Another long moment of silence came before Han'Gerral came on the com. "I suppose you have a point, Shastri, but it would have been nice to know this ahead of time."

"We weren't expecting this either, Admiral," Shepard said, as placating as she could manage. "He surprised us as we were about to leave Alliance territory."

Han made a rude sound. "Right, I guess we'll just have to deal with it. We're broadcasting the directions for all of the ships to fall in with us, and we'll be on our way to the signing place."

Even as Joker was guiding them into place, Sparatus was calling over. "Shastri, what is going on? Why are we joining the quarian fleet here, of all places?"

Covering his eyes, the Prime Minister obviously bit back several possible responses. "Sparatus, there's nothing of any significance whatsoever in this system. You think I'm going to sign an important, unprecedented treaty here?" The turian didn't respond, just clicking off the channel.

"Something tells me he didn't like that response," Joker muttered under his breath.

"I expect one of the three most powerful people in the galaxy to think before he speaks a little better," Shastri muttered.

"Nah, he can't possibly be more than fifth," Joker said, lining them up to approach the relay with the first wave of quarian ships. The _Gladius_ was in one of the last groups, probably to make it harder for them to panic and run when they figured out what their destination was.

"How do you figure that?" Shastri and Shepard asked, almost in unison. "Jinx," he added a second later, smirking at her expression of astonishment.

"Well, there's the Shadow Broker, the Illusive Man, the turian Imperator, and maybe Aria T'Loak. Depends on how you rank her, with the whole 'Omega going dark' thing going on. Heck, maybe even throw in the head of the STG." They hit the relay then, the wash of static prickling lightly over the ship.

Shastri actually seemed to consider this. "You'd really put the Illusive Man," his voice sounded suitably mocking, "above myself, Aria T'Loak, and the whole Council?"

"Um, yeah. Have you _looked _around this ship we're on?" The pilot glanced quickly over his shoulder as they emerged, even as his hands were busy arranging their position properly in respect to the rest of the fleet. "He built the bigger, faster, improved Normandy, at the same time the Alliance was building the _regular_ Normandy. And he put leather seats in it," he declared with a tone of formality.

Chuckling, Shastri turned to leave the cockpit. "I guess I can see who has your vote," he said, somewhat self-deprecatingly.

"Nah, I wouldn't vote for him – guy's a loony. But powerful, yeah." The second batch of ships was emerging through the relay behind them, and geth ships the size of cruisers were moving in to escort them to the surface. "Expect angry turian communications in three, two, one," Joker said, and the third batch of ships emerged from the relay.

"Move to intercept if he starts opening fire," she ordered, sounding calm enough. "EDI, please ask the geth not to return fire if we can't forestall his idiocy."

"Shastri! Shepard! There are _geth_ in this system!" came the panicked voice almost before she had finished speaking.

"Yep." She said nothing else, keeping her voice calm and waiting for him to respond. They hadn't opened fire yet, thankfully, possibly because the quarian ships were, for the moment, quite placidly cruising alongside their estranged synthetic children with not a single hint of violence.

"Shepard, in case you'd _forgotten_, the geth helped Saren and Nazara slaughter millions of humans, turians, and elcor." He sounded as much perturbed as he did confused, which she supposed was a good sign. The confusion, anyway.

"Not these ones, Councilor. The geth have their own factions, as much as any organic race in Citadel space."

"And I suppose you just opened up a comm channel to ask them about it," he scoffed.

"Actually, that's pretty much exactly how it went down. I was with Tali'Zorah, daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah, and she told me that so far as she knew, no one had ever tried to talk to the geth." She caught Joker's raised eyebrow, and nodded, grinning as he shook his head with an exaggerated look of disappointment.

"You … opened up a comm channel, with a quarian girl, and made peace with the geth," he said, clearly disbelieving. "Just like that."

She laughed. "It was a little more complicated than that, and plenty nerve-wracking for everyone on board when we came in to make contact for the first time." She tapped one of the aerogel screens, looking at their course and estimated arrival time, "but I suppose you could say that's the short version, yes."

"And the geth are non-hostile, now?" Sparatus asked, still incredulous.

"This faction is, Councilor. Since the group that attacked Eden Prime, Altakiril, and Dekunna was a minority of around ten percent of the geth," she heard him choke off an exclamation of fear at that. She couldn't really blame him, of course, given what they had done with those numbers, but it would be another hour or so before they could get a good read on the geth super-dreadnought. "I can't convince that splinter faction of geth to be peaceful, given that they believe the Reapers are the pinnacle of synthetic life, or something. Legion wasn't too clear on how exactly that works."

There was another long silence. "Should I even ask who Legion is?"

"Legion is an advanced geth unit, designed to facilitate their communication with organics. I don't know why you're surprised at that," she added sarcastically, "since he was present at the meeting with Jondam Bau."

There was an even longer silence this time, possibly enough time, if the Councilor had a truly top-notch VI, to get the security camera footage that no doubt had been taken of the meeting. "You walked into the most secure area on the Citadel, with an armed geth unit, and no one even noticed?"

Joker was completely covering his mouth with one hand to smother his laughter. "I can't say that _no one_ noticed," she answered truthfully, fighting the massive grin on her own face. "An elcor on the Presidium asked me where he could get one."

Someone on the other vessel, probably the captain, or maybe Sparatus' aide, said, "Spirits of air and darkness," loud enough to be heard. "Shepard, could you possibly let me know before you do anything else with the possibility to crack galactic civilization as I know it?"

"You wouldn't trust me if I did, Councilor," she answered, again perfectly honest. "But I wouldn't promise that anyway. There are some things that, quite frankly, could improve with a little cracking."

"Next you'll tell me you've been adopted by a krogan," he said, somewhat faintly. "I'll … talk to you after the ceremony is completed, Commander." The comm channel cut off with a sense of finality.

"Hey, Shepard?" Joker said.

"What is it, Joker?"

"Can you teach me the knack of always having the exact right thing to say to someone?" He grinned cheekily, tipping up the brim of his hat.

"Joker, I'd be happy to. First lesson involves getting out of that chair and going to ask Shastri a question." He looked pointedly down at his legs, and she smirked unsympathetically.

"I could always ask him from here," Joker said, gesturing at the panel to his left. "I'm sure the Prime Minister wouldn't mind at all if I interrupted his preparations to ask if he's a boxer or briefs kinda guy."

EDI's avatar popped up. "The Prime Minister is currently wearing women's black lace lingerie." As both Shepard and Joker stared open-mouthed at her avatar, she added. "That was a joke."

"That, I, well, um," Joker stuttered, finally smacking himself in the cheek. "Commander, you're not going to transfer me off the Normandy, now that my work here is done, are you?"

Still stunned at the successful joke, and almost hoping it was a fluke, Shepard reached out and snagged Joker's hat. "Not a chance, Moreau. You're staying with this ship as long as I am, got it?"

"Hey! Give that back!" He swiped after it clumsily, settling down to sulk as she danced out of reach.

"Shepard, we have a shuttle coming over from the _Orizaba_," EDI informed her as she walked down the neck of the ship. "Emily Wong is on board." Groaning, Shepard changed course slightly for the elevator.

To her surprise, it opened with Ashley inside. "Oh, Commander. I wanted to know if I could have a moment of your time." She was fidgeting a little, unusual behavior from what Shepard remembered.

"If it's going to be short, I have a little time before Emily Wong's shuttle arrives," Shepard said, stepping in and hitting the button for the shuttle bay. "Otherwise, it might have to wait until we're leaving Rannoch for me to have any time that's not monopolized by the Prime Minister."

Ashley thought about that for a few seconds, until the elevator dinged past the crew deck. "Just what the hell did I do in the future that makes you distrust me so badly? Did I tell you about my grandfather?"

Shepard blinked, then gave a quick mental review of her treatment of Williams. "Well, no. I mean, you did tell me about your grandfather, but that's got nothing to do with it." She sighed. "I don't know how short I can make the short version," she said as the elevator opened to the shuttle bay, thankfully deserted for the moment. "I'm more surprised you actually believe me about the future."

"You made peace with the geth with a goddamn e-mail, Shepard. On top of knowing who and what the Shadow Broker was going to do, so while I think it sounds utterly fantastical," she took a deep breath, "after seeing what the Reaper forces did to Altakiril and Dekunna, I'm willing to believe the Lord handed you a miracle."

Shepard wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "The short version, then. After we killed Saren in the middle of the Citadel, barely stopping Nazara from summoning the whole Reaper fleet, the Council stuck their heads in the sand, and sent me out hunting pockets of geth heretics. Around one of those planets I was investigating, the Collectors, the husk version of the Protheans, showed up and blew the hell out of the SR-1 Normandy. Spaced me with holes in my suit." She could still remember, struggling to try and close up the hole, long enough for one of the escape pods to at least try and reach her, only to realize there were three holes, and she only had two hands.

Her gaze was locked on the door as she related it. "My body went back and forth a few times, between agents of the Shadow Broker, who was going to sell it to the Collectors, and Cerberus. Cerberus won." She looked over at that point. "They, by which I mean a station full of scientists answering to Miranda, brought me back to life, with lots of cybernetics, but still basically me. And they asked, not demanded, my help in finding out how to stop the Collectors from harvesting every single human colony in the Traverse. You," she paused, and looked back at the shuttle door, "didn't agree with that, to put it mildly. Accused me of selling out the Alliance.

"Then, later, after the Reapers had shown up, Udina was in Cerberus' pockets, and was helping them take over the Citadel, in the middle of the panicked assault of practically every civilized world in the galaxy. You'd been promoted to Spectre by that point, and you stood between me and him and threatened to shoot me."

Silence reigned in the bay for several long moments. "Working with Cerberus was really the right call?" Ashley asked quietly.

Shepard sighed. "I didn't see any other, no. I rescued Garrus, and Mordin Solus, from Omega, then came straight to the Citadel. Talked to the Council, talked to Anderson and Udina and Hackett, and was told by all of them, 'We can't help those people. They went outside of Alliance space for a reason.'"

Ashley whirled on her. "Okay, look, I can see that from Udina. I can even see that from Hackett, maybe. But Anderson? You're really telling me that his becoming a Councilor meant he was willing to turn his back on human colonies?"

"Not exactly like that. But, basically, he pointed out that even if the Alliance tried to protect them, the people who moved out to places like Horizon and Ferris Fields did so specifically to get _away_ from the Alliance, try to strike out on their own." She shook her head sadly. "So, when it came to places like that, yeah, they were generally more willing to trust someone from Cerberus, especially when that person was a bona fide hero with a whole ship full of diverse aliens."

Ashley considered this for a moment. "I admit that my own attitude towards aliens probably isn't what you want," she said slowly, "but what exactly do you mean by 'diverse'?"

Shepard grinned, as the shuttle bay door started to open. "You've already met Miranda, Garrus, Tali, Mordin, Thane, and Jack. Oh, and Legion, though he was definitely the most different. There was also three other humans, a mercenary named Zaeed and a thief named Kasumi, who I hope to recruit yet, and an ex-Alliance soldier named Jacob who was one of Miranda's old flames."

Ash's mouth dropped open, then closed again with a snap as Shepard continued. "We had Grunt, a genetically engineered krogan who hit puberty in the middle of the mission. Let me tell you, krogan rites of passage are no joke. We had to kill a thresher maw on foot. There was Samara, an asari Justicar, which is like a cross between a police officer and a knight templar." She stopped to think for a minute. "Nope, that was everyone. Most of the Cerberus people who were on the Normandy were ex-Alliance who quit because they didn't like the whitewashing the brass gave my memory after I died."

The soldier considered this as they watched the other shuttle come in for a landing. "Cerberus had you recruiting aliens to help you save humanity? I bet that must have stuck in the Illusive Man's craw."

"Not as much as my blowing up the Collector base to destroy the proto-Reaper they were building out of the captured colonists," Shepard muttered. "But that will have to wait for later. Ms. Wong, welcome to the Normandy."

The reporter was stepping out of the shuttle, two Alliance marines flanking her, and her camera floating behind her. "This is a nice ship, Commander, but not what I expected from what I had heard about the Normandy."

"You probably heard about the SR-1 Normandy," Shepard said smoothly. "This is the SR-2 Normandy."

"What's the difference?" she asked curiously.

"I stole this one from the Illusive Man. But I'm sure that's not what you came here to talk about." She smiled thinly. "You came here to talk about the quarians, and the geth, am I right?"

She smiled, the face that had gotten her one of the top news spots throughout human space. "I certainly did. Tell me, Commander, how did you manage to bring peace to a three hundred year old conflict? Especially given the devastation you witnessed first-hand on Eden Prime?"

"Essentially, I lucked into it. The quarian who helped me was the daughter of one of their admirals. When I questioned her about the geth, I asked her why their conflict started in the first place, she didn't know. No one in the quarian fleet could remember why it started. So, I figured, why not try asking the geth? And to my surprise, they responded."

"It was really that simple? Drop the geth an e-mail and ask to get together over coffee and talk things over?" Her question was a little more sarcastic than Shepard could remember dealing with before, but what the heck. Said out loud, it did sound a little incredulous.

"I know it sounds far-fetched when you say it like that, but that's how it worked out. Nobody had apparently tried to talk to the geth, not that I'm aware of." Shepard grinned tightly. "So, one very nervous meeting later, and a great deal of long-range FTL communications, and peace treaties have been negotiated between the geth, the quarians, and the Alliance."

"Still, Commander, couldn't this be a trap? What makes you think the geth can be trusted to follow the rules of organic society?" _Damn, those are good questions_, Shepard thought admiringly. _At least she's not going to spin them the way Al-Jilani would be doing._

She took a deep breath before answering. "The geth are the reason Saren was stopped over Altakiril," she said. "They notified me of the beginning harvest there, and two of their units, on board the SR-1 Normandy, were directly involved in stopping Saren."

"Still, isn't it in the geth's interest to side with the Reapers, who are themselves synthetic?" _Oh good, something I can actually put my Prothean knowledge to use with._

"Actually, the Protheans had their own problem with rogue AIs," Shepard answered. "The Reapers neither recruited, nor spared them. While a small number of the geth have joined the Reapers, apparently believing in the promise of shared technology, the majority of the geth claim to believe in a very simple principle."

"And what's that?" Wong asked suspiciously.

"All intelligent life should be free to find its own perfection," Legion said, causing the reporter to jump and whirl the camera around to the geth. "We believe there is value in finding our own path. We believe the Creators, and all other organics, should have the same freedom. This is why we have not pursued the Creators since the Morning War."

Wong just stared at him for several seconds, which would probably get edited out of the final broadcast. "So, then, what started off the whole geth rebellion? Or, I'm sorry; you called it the Morning War?"

Legion twitched, then nodded in a very human gesture. "The geth refer to it as the Morning War, because it was the beginning to our consciousness, as the morning is the beginning to the day. It all started with a simple question. Does this unit have a soul?"

Several more awkward seconds of silence, as Emily Wong obviously fought to bring some order to her thoughts. Shepard was busy fighting not to grin too broadly, as Legion had struck with perfect timing on his entrance to the conversation. Finally, the reporter turned to the camera herself. "There you have it, folks, straight from the, er, mouth of the geth themselves. Next, we'll be on the surface, watching the historic signing of peace and trade agreements between the Alliance and two different races banned from Citadel space."

The record light on the camera turned off, and Wong leaned back against the shuttle. "Shepard?" she asked quietly. "Can I ask a favor?"

She blinked, looking at the reporter carefully. She hadn't dealt with the reporter a whole lot the first time around, but her brief interactions had been positive, at least. "What's the favor?"

"I know the Council tasked you with figuring out why Omega went dark. When you go there, take me with you?" She looked up, eyes filled with the kind of ambition and hunger Shepard knew pretty well. "I really, really want to find out if I can pull off two consecutive Pulitzers."

Ashley had retreated to the elevator, but the doors didn't quite close before her laughter started. "I'll think about it," she said calmly, even while thinking, _Babysit a reporter while I take on what's probably a base full of Collectors and Reaper husks? Not a goddamn chance in hell._


	22. Chapter 22

_Author's Note: And lo, there was peace between the species, with much rejoicing, but probably no eating of minstrels. The name at the end is courtesy of LegionN7, and if you haven't already checked out his Fornax stories, stop for brain bleach first. If you haven't yet, also check out my new AU, Ascension._

_And as a shout-out to all of my many readers, I am so thrilled to announce that as of yesterday, Reloaded is on PAGE ONE when you sort by Follows. Thank you all! I never expected to get anywhere near this popular, and you're all great for reading my story!_

* * *

At last, they arrived on the surface. Forty or fifty shuttles from the quarian vessels were arrowing through the atmosphere, following the wake of the _Normandy_ and the _Gladius_ as they approached a spaceport, rebuilt by the geth at some point after the war. Wong had stayed on board, managing to finagle comments out of a few of the crew. Jack's would not be broadcast, but at least the biotic hadn't done any permanent damage to the camera or the reporter, so Shepard counted it as a win.

She and Ashley were both in full dress uniform as they led the way down the ramp. Shastri's bodyguards flanked him, looking like clones in dark black suits, and even Garrus had put on something that was supposedly C-Sec dress uniform, though Shepard thought it looked like a Napoleonic cavalry uniform more than anything else. He was already walking over to Sparatus' ship, falling in with the Hierarchy military. She saw a turian journalist, dressed in an eye-watering shade of yellow, pacing alongside the Councilor with his camera floating above his head, obviously narrating the scene.

All of the quarian Admirals came down in separate shuttles. Basic geth units were present in the hundreds, all of them conspicuously unarmed, politely gesturing everyone to assigned places. Ranks of chairs had been set out in a park next to the spaceport, marking out groups by the color of the chairs. Shepard smiled across as she caught sight of her mom, the shuttle from the _Orizaba_ having landed in a different section of the field.

It took almost two hours to get everyone down to the surface, over to the signing place, and settled into their seats. Sparatus and the turians had a hastily rearranged group of seats just behind the Alliance. The geth portion wasn't seats, but ranks of geth Primes mixed with a squat, round platform she'd never seen before. Legion was still with the Alliance group, though Galatea was still back at Arcturus. "Legion, what are those units?" she asked, pointing.

"Those are mobile node platforms, Shepard-Commander. They will allow several thousand programs each to attend the ceremony and provide for faster dissemination of the experience throughout the Collective," he informed her. They continued watching the byplay, as several of the more distant quarians were in a full out screaming match over who was getting the "better" seats. "Shepard-Commander, we request to spend this time during the ceremony fully linked to the rest of the Collective."

She turned back to him, blinking in surprise. "Why?" she finally asked. Legion had only been an independent entity, of sorts, for a month and a half, and was just barely starting to show a personality.

Legion ran through his own sort of mental conundrum, played out in the shifting face plates and the zoom of the flashlight eye. "Few geth units have ever spent so long separate from the Consensus, and we desire familiar input and to share our experiences with you with the rest of the geth."

That was digesting a little slowly, so it surprised her when her mother leaned forward from the next row back. "Honey, did I just hear a geth say it was _lonely_?"

Legion looked at Hannah, and gave a very human nod. "Yes."

Jane Shepard couldn't help her chuckle, even as she caught the glint of Wong's camera recording the whole byplay. "Sure, Legion, you can connect to the Consensus. After all, with the quarians all coming home, it would be cruel of me to deny you the same right."

The geth simply extended an antenna out from the back area of his chassis, before pausing it and turning back to Jane. "Thank you," he said before completing the extension. "Our auditory language processing will be slowed to approximately nineteen percent of normal while we are part of the Consensus."

"Is that a bad sign?" Shastri asked anxiously.

"Sir, with how fast a geth normally processes information, it means he'll just be slowed down to human speed," she responded dryly.

Hannah grinned. "Does that mean I can trip him up by telling bad puns and asking leading questions? We should know if the geth are capable of foot-in-mouth disease like humans are."

"Mom!" Any further outburst was cut off as two geth primes, painted in identical designs of purple and beige, stepped up onto the stage. Most of the crowd quieted down, but she could still hear plenty of whispering, and quiet commentary from the reporters.

"We have a recording of a song from Rannoch before the war," the Primes said in loud stereo. "We decided playing it would make for an auspicious beginning." Without any further preamble, they started playing a piece of music, full of light, swooping string instruments backed by a quiet fleet of woodwinds. The piece was entirely instrumental, but she could guess from the body language that many of the quarians were moved to tears, and an almost equal number were confused. _They reinvented their whole culture from scratch,_ she thought bleakly.

At the end of the song, the two geth simply moved back, saying nothing further, and after a few moments of hesitation, Shastri rose, striding up onto the stage. The quarian Admirals were quick on his heels, Zaal'Koris and Rael'Zorah subtly engaging in a shoving match to who would be first, only to have Shala'Raan slip past both of them, skipping the stairs and simply leaping a meter up, talking quietly with Shastri as they walked to the center.

Once everyone was assembled, Shastri cleared his throat, and lifted his omni-tool to let his amplify his voice. "Citizens of the Alliance, Quarians of the Migrant Fleet, and runtimes of the Geth Consensus. Today we meet here for a historic reason, the signing of peace and trade for the first time between organic and synthetic life." His lips quirked up on one side, the photogenic smirk that had helped him beat out Senator Clark. "The first time in three hundred years the quarians have gotten a treaty with anyone, actually.

"Before I turn over the floor to my colleagues here, I have two thoughts I'd like to share, both with the people here today on Rannoch, and those watching at home, whether that's Earth, Eden Prime, or the Citadel. First off is an old Earth aphorism, said by a scholar right before a political revolution that affected Earth for the next three centuries. 'We must all hang together, or assuredly we will hang separately.' I've heard the calls on Earth, on Shanxi and on Eden Prime, people who believe that humanity doesn't need aliens, doesn't need other species. They think that somehow, if we just huddle up on our planets and close our borders, that the Reapers will ignore us and pass us by. But as tempting as that is, no matter how different these aliens are, they have a lot more in common with us than any of us do with the Reapers.

"The second one, I just heard the other day. In fact, I heard it from a geth, Galatea, who's currently observing the Alliance Parliament. 'All sapient life should be free to choose their own destiny.' On the face of it, most viewers out there are probably thinking that it sounds a little cheesy. But it's real close to a sentiment present in the late twentieth century on earth, said by a fictional synthetic lifeform. 'Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.' The Alliance, and the nations of Earth, have fought through the years for freedom. So when I find people out here, whether they're purple, green, metal, or whatever, who uphold the same principles that I am sworn to, as Prime Minister, then I'm going to extend them my hand and call them friends."

As he lowered his omni-tool, there was a brief moment of stunned silence before the entire mass of quarians started cheering and stomping their feet, the human applause completely drowned out. The geth, she noted, didn't make any overt moves at first, but when she looked at Legion and raised her eyebrow, all of the geth in ranks started clapping in perfect unison. The effect of that was enough to quiet the quarian cheering as the Admirals conferred briefly.

Zaal'Koris was the first to step forward, and he raised his hands for silence, waiting until even the reporters had stopped their murmuring. "My people. For too long, we have been called the Migrant Fleet. Nomads, shunned from Citadel society, owning only what we could make with our labor and carry with us on our roaming throughout the galaxy. We were migrant, because of a mistake our ancestors had made, a very great mistake. Our children had been brought to life, through our own ingenuity and labor, and when our ancestors realized the geth were becoming people, more than simply machines, they panicked.

"Today, we finally have a chance to correct that mistake. To welcome the geth as our equals, to live and work beside them as we should have long ago. To call Rannoch our home, now and forever more." He raised one hand, unbuckled the faceplate of his suit, as Shala, Han, and Rael echoed the same movement behind them, four of the five Admirals baring their face to the atmosphere of their homeland for the first time in generations. In unison, all of them cried out, voices unaltered by the environmental suits they had lived in their entire adult lives. "Keelah Se'lai! Keelah Se'lira!"

Dozens of the quarians in the crowd were now taking off their own faceplates, breathing deep of the atmosphere of their homeland. "Something tells me I should have our med techs on standby," Hannah muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

Legion turned to face her. "That will not be necessary, Shepard-Captain. We have units prepared to render any medical aid our Creators require. We will also be offering to upload runtimes into their environmental suits to help stimulate their immune system and prepare them for living unsuited on Rannoch once again."

"That will be awesome," Hannah said, nearly shouting, just to be heard over the roar of the crowd. "This place is going to be real popular with human tourists once they realize just how gorgeous the quarians are." She caught her daughters shocked look and grinned. "Did you not see Zaal's face when he took the mask off? _Total_ stud!"

"You don't even know if he's married!" Jane said, exaggerating the horror-stricken expression on her face. When he wasn't trying to put Tali through a kangaroo court to discredit Rael, she actually kind of liked the guy.

"Zaal'Koris-Creator is not in a relationship with any other quarian. We are experiencing doubt about how such a relationship would work, given the fragile quarian immune systems combined with regular levo/dextro incompatibility." Legion simply raised his speaker output effortlessly.

"I hardly have any dextro allergy at all," Hannah said blithely. "I bet it came in real handy, right, Jane?" she needled with a sidelong glance over her shoulder at the turian witnesses. Jane promptly flushed bright red, grateful that their words were unlikely to be picked up by any of the three cameras.

After about two minutes, the Admirals put their masks back on, gradually waving the crowds to silence. "There is still a great deal to do," Han said simply. "While I would welcome moving into a house tonight, all us still have a responsibility to the fleet. Our immune systems will need time to adapt, and we're not going to leave all those ships cluttering up our orbital lanes, are we?"

A good natured laugh came from the crowd as Shastri stepped forward again. "No one wants us to rattle off pages and pages of stiff, formal, legalese. So I'll just hit the highlights. Between the Alliance and the quarian nation, as yet unnamed, because I don't think you'll keep the name of the Migrant Fleet."

"Maybe we will," Zaal joked back, "just to annoy the reporters and the politicians."

Shastri's smirk grew wider. "Hey, your planet, your rules. For starters, the Alliance waives all claim to three relay clusters, in exchange of guaranteed quarian man-hours for the Crucible Project, to be paid at normal rates. Standard agreements of reciprocity, visas, and immigration between our nations." He looked around the park. "Which I bet we'll have some of, and tourism for sure. Agreements for law enforcement and mutual military interdiction against pirates, slavers, and Reaper-controlled forces." He turned to one of his aides, taking a datapad and skimming it quickly. "Those are the highlights.

"Between the Alliance and the geth, mostly the same. Reciprocity of laws, visas and immigration. Acknowledgement that geth will have to follow Alliance labor laws when in Alliance space. Mutual defense and combat training exercises." He looked over at the Admirals. "I think you can cover the quarian-geth agreements."

"Quite right," Rael said, taking his own datapad. "Formal peace between the quarians and the geth, with guaranteed right of resettlement onto Rannoch. Combining quarian and geth military forces, and, hold on, this is new," he trailed off, obviously reading furiously as confused and frightened murmurs quickly rose from the quarian crowd. Once he was done, it took Rael several tries to make everyone quiet down again, and when he finally spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. "Finally, the inclusion of all geth as citizens of the quarian nation."

One of the two Primes, who had spent the whole time just standing at the back of the stage, came forward. "The separation between our people was long and difficult for both sides. We wish to be united, in law and friendship, Rael'Zorah-Creator."

Rael'Zorah stood there for several seconds, just staring at the prime, until he finally reached out, taking its hand in a quarian handshake. Shala'Raan completely abandoned decorum and grabbed the other one in a hug, leaving the metal giant to carefully put arms around her, the moment immortalized on video. Shastri, laughing heartily, traded handshakes and embraces all around as the three signatories put their digital signatures to the agreements.

The next two hours was an even more complicated ballet of moving shuttles, as the quarians (with much assistance from the geth) arranged a party for all seventeen million quarian people. The Consensus had been preparing for this, pulling long-unused recipes from their data banks and making delicacies and drinks not seen for three centuries. Tons of it was moved up to orbit, to every fleet involved, and even more people came down to the surface, staged in parks and banquet halls across the planet.

The humans had their own food brought down from the _Orizaba_, while the turians were trading some basic turian staples for quarian delicacies. After a lifetime on mostly hydroponically-grown food, vacuum-sealed acrocanth steaks were a luxury in their own right to the quarians. As everyone settled in to eat, Tali stood up at the Admiral's table, calling for attention. "This is a dream come true for the entire quarian people, and none of it would be possible without the help of one person. She helped save my life, took me in and made me part of a crew, and then did the impossible." She lifted her glass with one hand, and removed her face mask with the other, hundreds of quarians copying her movements.

"To Commander Shepard!" Across the planet, thousands of glasses were raised in the same toast, while Jane stood, embarrassed, face bright red.

* * *

They spent two more days on Rannoch, helping the quarians plan and working out the details of when the quarians would arrive to work on the Crucible. Jane spent most of her time putting her biotics to good use; the quarians had the lowest biotic rate of any race in the galaxy, courtesy of their suits, and were generally fascinated by it.

The worst part of the whole endeavor was one afternoon when she passed by Sparatus in the middle of an interview with the other human reporter, George Sulu. "So, Councilor, what possessed you to come here to Rannoch?"

"I needed a vacation, and I had heard that Shepard was going somewhere nice, quiet, and out of the way. So, why not put some taxpayer money to good use and tag along? We do pay the Spectres to do what the Council wants, after all," Sparatus explained, causing Shepard to pause nearby, frowning.

"That's a joke," she complained under her breath, "they don't pay me anything."

Sparatus was well into middle age by turian standards, but his hearing was still sharp. He promptly turned around, spying her some twenty meters away. "What do you mean, we don't pay you?"

"I haven't gotten one credit from the Council in three months since I've been a Spectre," she said, this time loud enough for the camera to pick it up.

He boggled at her. "Haven't you talked to Barla Von? He has a credit account with your name on it!"

Still scowling, she turned on her omni-tool and called Garrus. "What's the best way to kill a volus?"

To his credit, he didn't react in any verbal fashion. "That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Whether you want him to explode all over you. What's this about, Shepard?" She could hear the confusion in his tone.

"Apparently, Barla Von has been holding on to my pay for the last three months. I want to be prepared in case I don't like his answer," she snarled, having turned her back on the camera.

"Spirits, Shepard, you can't just murder him because you forgot to withdraw money." Garrus actually sounded worried about the idea. "And think of the reputation you'd be getting."

"I've been to see him twice. Twice since I became a Spectre! And the slime sucker never said one _word_ about my having a Council account with him!"

"How did you think Spectres got paid, then?"

She didn't hesitate much, but she did move further away from the camera. "By doing stuff like killing mercenaries and taking their stuff! Jondam's stealing drug money, Tela Vasir works for the Shadow Broker, and Saren went and got a Reaper for a patron."

"Uh, alright, those aren't the best examples, I admit, but there's also over five hundred Spectres, and they're all held up as the best and brightest." He obviously didn't like the way the conversation was going. Around a building corner from Sparatus and Sulu, she leaned back against the wall.

"Look, Garrus, I don't know that all of the Spectres are bad. But of my limited experience, the best one I've met is Jondam, and he's just as mercenary as I am. That doesn't speak well for the institution." She sighed, slumping to the ground. "And occasionally makes me second-guess my own appointment."

"You are a great Spectre, Shepard, and if I hear anyone saying otherwise, I will take care of them." The fierce protectiveness in his voice made her smile.

"Thanks, Garrus. That helps." She looked up as a shadow fell over her, and blinked up at the elcor standing over her. _When the hell did the elcor get here?_ she wondered. "Can I help you?"

"Respectfully: You are Commander Shepard. We have been sent to help you by a mutual acquaintance." _We?_ she thought worriedly, quickly regaining her feet. Sure enough, another dozen elcor accompanied him. "Confidently: We are all former heavy weapon specialists. We possess our own transportation."

"Uh, right. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming. Who are you, and why were you sent here?" She could almost feel the wheels in her head spinning rapidly and getting nowhere fast.

"Respectfully: We were hired to assist you in the liberation of Omega station. Badassfully: We are the Big Dekunna Kahunas, and we are here to rock their socks off."

Her only coherent thought could be best summed up as, _Dafuq?_


	23. Chapter 23

_Author's Note: Have I said recently how much I love all my followers? Because seriously, I do. Nothing strokes my ego like sorting Mass Effect stories by Follows and seeing my name on page 1. You guys rock. I look forward to seeing more reviews. All elcor names are via the wiki page called "Glossary of Surfing" because, really, why not?_

* * *

"The Big Dekunna Kahunas," Shepard repeated slowly. "Did this mutual friend say why I would need a squad of elcor heavy weapon specialists?"

"Shepard, what is going on over there?" Garrus demanded through her omni-tool, and she absently shut it down.

"Respectfully: We were hired to assist you in the liberation of Omega. With annoyance: We were told you had a full debriefing to give us on the nature of our opponents," the lead elcor said.

"Ah, just a second. EDI? Please tell me I just got a transmission from Miranda," she said desperately.

"Three messages with large attachments have arrived in the last hour. I did not think you wanted to be interrupted during the ceremony," the AI responded.

"Transmit them to me," she said hurriedly. "Sorry about that, apparently her timing is a little off." She frowned, struck by a thought. "How did you guys know to show up here?"

"Proudly: Agent Hang Ten convinced the quarian ships in orbit we were bringing gifts for the signatories. She is quite persuasive." Shepard blinked in surprise, looking at what were, to her, thirteen identical elcor.

"Bashfully: I am glad my amateur acting career could be put to such good use," another elcor said, in the exact same deep vocoder-assisted monotone.

From around a corner, Garrus, Ashley, and Jack came running, skidding to a sudden halt at the sight of thirteen elcor and a cornered Commander. While Garrus and Ashley were obviously debating the wisdom of reaching for their weapons, Jack grinned like a kid on Halloween. "Oh, please tell me they're coming with us? You just recruited them, right?"

"Curiously: Why does our status matter? Proudly: But yes, we have been hired to assist Commander Shepard," the lead elcor declared.

Jack started giggling, an unusually innocent sound from the tattooed biotic, and when everyone turned to look at her, she slumped to the ground, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Ashley looked back and forth between the girl and the elcor, then actually stomped her foot in anger. "Son of a _bitch_!" she complained, causing Jack's laughter to fade off as she hiccupped, trying to draw in air. "Maybe I can still win for the volus adept. Damnit, Shepard, couldn't you have put them off three more days?"

"Confused: Why is the timing of our arrival generating such strong emotions?" Hang Ten rumbled.

Sighing, Shepard put one hand over her face. "My crew has been running a bet on when I would end up with an elcor, volus, or batarian on the crew, since I've managed to work with just about every other race in Citadel space. I'm guessing Jack won this one," she muttered in resignation. "Can I get some introductions?"

"With embarrassment: My apologies. Proudly: I have taken the codename Cowabunga. Politely: My crew include Close Out, Gnarly, Surf's Up, Floater, Duck Dive, Soul Arch, Wipe Out, Tandem, Kook, Wax, and Grommet." Shepard looked among the whole batch as each elcor politely dipped their head as their names were mentioned. "Confidently: We are prepared to unleash a world of hurt. Pointedly: As soon as you tell us who we're facing."

She nodded, and looked down at her omni-tool. "Just a second. EDI, can you patch me through to Tali?"

It took several moments before the quarian girl answered. "Shepard? What can I do help you with?" She sounded desperate.

"I was hoping to get a meeting place somewhere to talk with a dozen elcor."

"I'm happy to help! I'll be right there. Should I collect Legion as well?" Yes, she was desperate to get away from something. That was a little odd; Shepard figured that Tali, now with the most successful Pilgrimage gift _ever_ would be working hard at planning the resettlement.

"Uh, sure. You know where we are?" she asked in confusion, catching Garrus' amused smirk.

"Keelah, Shepard, don't you know anything about omni-tool transmissions? With an unencrypted channel like this, I can track you to a handspan of your location," she said, clearly on the move.

"Tali, I'm a biotic. I only use my omni for communications and running the HUD in my armor." She was pretty sure that Floater and Grommet were laughing at her, too, despite the silence from their vocalizers.

Two minutes later, the quarian came around the corner with Legion, and she led them to a building nearby, apparently another feast hall from the tables and chairs still set up. They moved enough out of the way to let the elcor get comfortable, and Shepard looked over at Legion. "Legion, for the moment, I'd like this information to stay with just you, and not the rest of the Collective." The geth shifted slightly, then retracted the antenna. "Thank you.

"This information arrived in my mail while we were at the ceremony, so the only one who's possibly read it is EDI. Let's see what we have." She pulled up the first e-mail, a collection of video files, and selected the first one. It started playing on her omni, showing a corridor in Omega near one of the docking ports.

Tali huffed in annoyance. "Give me that bosh'tet thing, Shepard," she demanded, not waiting for a response as she was already hacking the device, setting the hologram to broadcast inside the room, now much closer to life size.

It looked to be a fairly normal day on Omega; a batarian foreman was supervising a dozen mechs loading cargo containers into a freighter. It was silent, probably due to cheap equipment, but they could see the surprise on the faces of the batarian and the freighter's human crew. Suddenly they were running for the ship, the mechs turning to present an obstacle. Which turned out to be not much of one, as two yahg bowled straight through them. One of them leaped on the batarian's back, slamming him into the ground hard enough to send blood spurting out his mouth. The humans were already closing the freighter door, but not fast enough to stop the second yahg from reaching through the door and grabbing one of the crew. The unfortunate man struggled, obviously being pulled on by his companions, but all that accomplished was nearly dragging them out too. They let go right before the door closed, blasting off and half-depressurizing the bay as the emergency shields came up.

Then the yahg started eating the two people they had grabbed, still alive and writhing. Shepard slammed the command on her omni, cutting off the display. The room was deathly silent for several long seconds. "Woozily: I believe I may regurgitate my last meal," Kook said dourly.

Jack tried to say something, only for her voice to crack immediately. She licked her lips and tried again. "Hey, Shepard, remember how I said Cerberus was the most evil group in known space? I take it back," she said, barely louder than a whisper.

"Now I know why I've got a whole squad of elcor weapon specialists," Shepard whispered. Shaking her head, she skipped down a few files, accessing a different one.

This one was clearly inside Afterlife. A krogan she thought was Patriarch, flanked by a half dozen batarians, were busy converging all their fire on a yahg as it charged them, and when it got close enough, the elderly krogan picked up a honest-to-god warhammer with a weighted head that probably weighed as much as Tali, executing a perfect golf swing right between the yahg's legs.

Of more interest to Shepard was the scene in the background behind them. Aria's biotics were on full display here, as she simply reached out and dropped singularities powerful enough they could hear the cracking of Collector carapaces over the gunfire and roaring. Then, as she was afraid of, one of the dozen Collectors glowed with that amber light, layering itself in shields too powerful for even the queen of the Terminus Systems to beat. "Omega is now under new management," Harbinger declared, sounding tinny through the camera.

The two of them strode forth to do battle, temporarily ignoring the rest of the Collectors as they traded biotic-enhanced punches capable of tearing holes in an aircar. Once another dozen Collectors had come in, keeping Patriarch pinned down, they simply turned twelve beam rifles on the asari, cutting through her barrier in moments, even as she tried to flee. To Shepard's dread, Harbinger didn't kill her, just battered her in the head until she fell, wounded and unconscious. Then he picked up her body, dragging her out of the club.

"What," Ashley paused to swallow, "what is he going to do with her?"

Shepard's face was grim. "We've seen husked humans, turians, elcor, even a krogan on Virmire." Her memories reverberated with the sound of banshee screams in the monastery. "They can do it to asari, too."

"With reluctant curiosity: Are there any species the Reapers cannot dominate in such fashion?" Grommet asked quietly.

"Hanar, maybe. Volus, I think. Thresher maws, I dearly hope." Everyone in the room, even the elcor, visibly winced at the thought of a thresher maw husk. "The yahg appear to be working willingly with the Reaper forces, not husked. Which means they're Indoctrinated by now, even if they didn't start out that way. While I am confident that your team would make a serious dent," she addressed Cowabunga seriously, "quite frankly, I still think I need more people. And some more info from STG about the yahg."

"Gratefully: Every additional gun will be appreciated. I look forward to completing this and telling my grandchildren about it," he replied.

"What are we going to do for backup, Shepard?" Garrus asked. "I'm sure we can get Jondam in on this, maybe even pick up a couple more Spectres."

She shook her head, smiling faintly. "No, I was planning on calling in a favor with the Citadel's other muscle." Everyone looked confused at that. "We're going to visit Tuchanka, and Wrex is going to give us some quality soldiers. We get some more badass fighters, he gets some good publicity. If I thought I could get them, I'd ask Hackett for some N7s, or Victus for some of your Praetorian Guard, but the Normandy is going to be crowded enough as it is."

"Eagerly: When do we depart?" Cowabunga asked.

Shepard closed her eyes, thinking furiously. "I'll see if I can get Shastri to go back with my mom on the Orizaba. Let's say three hours. Tuchanka as a first stop, probably a day or two there, and a day or two on Arcturus for extra ordinance. Sound good?"

"Confidently: We will be prepared. Mockingly: Let's go, children, back to the ship," Cowabunga said, turning for the door.

"In annoyance: Who are you calling old? I have toys older than you are," Gnarly protested.

Jack sidled over to Shepard, her face lit up in a mischievous grin. "So, not only did you get a squad of elcor heavies, you got _geriatric_ elcor heavies? I am _so_ glad you busted me out of Purgatory, Shepard!" Her voice was nearly a girlish squeal as she all but pranced out of the room. Garrus and Ashley both watched her go in shock.

"Shepard, I know this is going to be dangerous, but, can I come with you?" Tali asked suddenly, derailing Shepard's train of thought.

"Why would you want to, Tali? I mean, you just got your homeworld back," she asked in honest confusion.

"I know, and that's part of the problem," Tali said. "Everyone's treating me like I'm some kind of great hero-diplomat. All my father can talk about is how proud he is – that, and when I'm going to link suits with some eligible male quarian and start making babies," she grumbled. "I hardly know any male quarians except Kal'Reegar and the Admirals!"

Shepard thought it over for a moment. "Ask Kal if he wants to come along."

Tali leaned back, her head quirked to the side curiously. "Jane Shepard, are you trying to hook me up?" Her tone of voice was definitely not opposed to the idea.

"No, actually, I'm thinking about the asset he could be to our mission on Omega. Also, the more dextro people I have on board, the less Garrus can complain about the cooking," she teased lightly.

* * *

Ten hours later, they arrived at Tuchanka, the Prime Minister perfectly content to ride back on the Orizaba now that his publicity with her on the trip there and the public signing had sent his popularity numbers soaring. Sparatus being visible, if quiet, in the news had stopped the Council from trying to issue sanctions or even a verbal reprimand, but she didn't envy his relationship with Tevos and Valern.

The elcor ship, rechristened the Waikiki, had cruised into orbit alongside them, and both ships sent a shuttle down to the surface. They strode out into the underground bunker together, Shepard impatiently slowing her strides to match Cowabunga. "Hey, look, it's a walking punching bag," one krogan taunted.

Cowabunga turned, and activated his battlesuit. Four rotating mini-guns, with six barrels apiece, extended from his shoulders, and locked onto the krogan. The guns rotation kept them from overheating longer, and supposedly could maintain a rate of fire of two hundred rounds per barrel for a full minute before needing to cool off – something Shep was eager to see in action, though she'd prefer it was against the yahg, and not some young Urdnot with no brain-mouth content filter. "Threateningly: I did not hear you clearly. Perhaps you could speak up."

The warrior seemed primed to respond when his buddies all took a large, noticeable step away from him, displaying that at least one of them had the sense not to mess with an elcor. Growling wordlessly, he turned away, conceding the verbal defeat.

In the main cave, things were surprisingly cleaner now. The rubble had been, if not exactly removed, at least tidied up, moved into functional piles. Krogan on rickety-looking construction platforms were repairing the wall, and Mordin's lab now sported a full airlock-style sterilization entrance. "Shepard!" Wrex cried from the throne, shoving aside Wreav and some unfamiliar krogan with a green headplate. "Next you're going to tell me you've got a hanar aboard that crazy ship," he said, pulling her into a breath-stealing hug.

"Not exactly, but I did have a drell for a bit," she said. "Let's skip the small talk. I need some krogan warriors by tomorrow, for a highly dangerous mission."

Wrex laughed again. "Come up here and tell me about it, and bring the tank, too."

"Boastfully: I am Cowabunga, leader of the Big Dekunna Kahunas," the elcor said, his weapons retracted at the moment.

"You're going to ignore our talks for these aliens?" the green-headed krogan complained.

"These aliens, at least those two," Wrex pointed at Shepard and Garrus, "are the reason we are having any talks, Uvenk. So shut up and wait your turn. Let me guess, Shepard, you want some krogan to take on Omega, right?"

She grinned. "Did you have Mordin snooping in my e-mail, or do you actually read the galactic headlines? Yes. I want some of your best along with me."

"Elcor tanks to fight alongside her, and she still cannot find the bravery to go into combat herself," Uvenk complained to the open air.

"Garrus, if he opens his mouth again, shoot his kneecap off," Shepard said. She remembered the bastard vaguely from Grunt's rite, and wasn't inclined to take any crap from him this time around.

"My pleasure," the turian replied brightly, sniper rifle already aimed.

"Shepard, I can't spare a whole lot of Urdnot krogan. But I've already got a couple of clans allied with me. How picky are you?" Wrex asked seriously.

"I want a dozen, or better, two dozen krogans, who are capable of fighting, have a good hold on their blood rage, and are willing to take orders from a human and working with all races, including turian and salarian. They'll be helping to take Omega back from the Collectors and the yahg, the only race who makes you look puny." She grinned as his look of angry disbelief. "Here, let me show you."

She pulled up the hologram of Patriarch fighting the yahg, barely managing to down the creature before falling to a dozen Collectors. Wrex and Uvenk both watched closely. "Damn, Shepard. Where did those pyjaks crawl out of?"

"I'm not sure, but the STG does," she responded dryly. "They had plans for uplifting them, too, because that worked out so well for them the last time, but the Reapers beat them to it."

"I'll put in some calls to Ulluthyr and Khel clans, see how many people they're willing to spare," Wrex promised. "Showing how screwed up the STG is? That will be a bonus."

"Gatatog will pledge five warriors to this task," Uvenk declared suddenly, causing everyone present to turn and look at him. "You want krogan warriors? Gatatog is still one of the best."

"You just have five warriors you want to get rid of, right?" Wrex chuckled. "Oh, this is epic. Take them, Shepard. Then when they come back covered in glory, and all want to join a more modern clan, I'll take them in." Uvenk scowled at him, and then stomped off the dais.

"You sure about those guys?" Shepard asked.

Wrex just nodded. "If Uvenk wants to send them, it's because they want to be actual, modern krogan, and know more than how to put on their armor and which end of the gun the bullets come out of. They'll probably have attitude problems."

"Humorously: What krogan doesn't?" Cowabunga asked, and even the guards laughed.

"Alright, Wrex. Let me know by tomorrow how many warriors I have." She turned back towards the elcor. "I'm going to talk to Mordin for a few minutes. I'd invite you, but the sterilization chamber was clearly not designed for your species."

"Acceptingly: That is alright. With interest: I will bet on the varren fights until you are done." He ambled slowly off, easily passed by Shepard and Garrus.

"I'm sorry," the turian said quietly as they walked.

"For what?" she asked, puzzled.

"Well, I was about to pull the trigger when I heard what he actually said. I couldn't decide whether to shoot him for talking, like you said, or thank him for giving us recruits." He shrugged. "But I figure, if nothing else, having a couple more krogan bodies between us and the yahg is a good thing."

"Amen to that." They stood stiffly in the decontamination chamber for a full minute before the inner doors opened. "Mordin!"

"Shepard, Garrus. Surprise to see you. Progress on krogan fertility slow. Have made minimal breakthroughs. Reduced number from one in one thousand to one in nine hundred." The salarian had hardly glanced up from his equipment at their entrance, but paused to glare at his krogan assistant. "Told you before: soil samples must be neutralized with base to calculate precise acidity." Sighing, he gave a tired smile to Shepard. "Like teaching children. Rewarding, eventually."

"We were in the neighborhood, Mordin, so I wanted to pick your brain for a moment." He held up a finger, and she gave him a few seconds to save all of his data. "What do you know about the yahg?"

"Little. Not my area of expertise. Saw reports. Ate original contact team. Salarian and asari members, anyway. Severe dextro allergy. Strong immune system, healing and regeneration slower than krogan. Supposedly apex predators, only in same sense humans are – slaughtered all competition capable of eating them." He blinked rapidly. "Ah. Omega."

"Spirits, that will never get old," Garrus said in admiration. Mordin just smiled wider.

"Do you still have contacts in the STG, who'd be willing to pass me, or Jondam Bau, the complete file on the yahg?" Shepard asked. "I've got a dozen elcor tanks, an as-yet undetermined number of krogan, and my squad with Jondam, but I'm going up against potentially an entire station full of yahg and Collectors. Not to mention however many of the several million inhabitants who've been husked."

Mordin considered it for a moment. "Why retake station? Omega considered blight on galactic civilization. Large rock, relativistic speeds. No yahg, no Collectors."

"First, because I'm pretty sure the Collectors could stop that – they're just Reaper puppets, after all. Second, because we need information. Third, another clone of Saren was seen there on video shortly before the station fell." He simply absorbed all of the information, considering it strongly.

"Odds of completely clearing the station on your own, very small. However, clearing station irrelevant to objectives. Find Saren. Acquire information from Collector systems. Leave." He shrugged. "Sounds fascinating. Wish I could go. Too much to do here."

She looked at Garrus. "I don't suppose you could give us a hint of where to start looking on the station?" the turian deadpanned.

"Three locations. First, Afterlife – hub of Omega for centuries under Aria. Second, near top of asteroid, hollowed stalactite. STG believed it was original overseer office. Was occupied by batarian mogul. Third, power generation facilities at base of station. Control power and air, control the station." He hummed for a moment, then accessed his omni-tool. "Best map I have. STG may have better."

"Thanks, but I think I have one from the Shadow Broker." She looked at Garrus. "Split up into three forces to hit all three simultaneously, or stay together and hit one at a time?"

"I think that'll have to depend on how many krogan we get – and how good they are," he said reluctantly. "Mordin, which one do you think is least likely?"

"Stalactite. Might be nothing. Only valuable if original estimate on Prothean thought process was valid. No way to be certain," he replied. "Inspiration strikes, however." In an instant, he was back at the piece of gene-splicing equipment. "Wish you luck. Send message when you succeed."

Chuckling at his energy, they went back out, enduring the sterilization again. "Curiously: That was a short conversation. Proudly: I have so far won three hundred credits."

"Yeah, well, Mordin's the fastest conversationalist I've ever met. I suspect he'd give you a headache," she said affably. "Ready to return to the ship?"

"Disappointed: There goes half my winnings," Cowabunga said as the fight finished. "Resigned: We might as well."

The next day, five Gatatog, seven Urdnot, four Ulluthyr, and five Khel, assembled in the Urdnot main chamber. "So, Shepard," Wrex said, "you think this will be enough?"

She looked over twenty-one krogan. All of them had armor and weapons bearing the tell-tale signs of proficient use, and while they were currently divided in little knots by clan, they weren't fighting with each other, either. "I sure as hell hope so," she said quietly. "I'm sure they're the best you have to offer, what I don't know is if that will be enough."

"Shepard, the best Urdnot is me, and I can't leave for this, much as I want to," Wrex said gravely, resting one hand on her shoulder. "But they're the best after me."

"Krogan!" she shouted, and to her surprise, they shut up and looked at her. "I'm Commander Shepard. You're on my team now. Anyone who's got a problem with that, take it up with my krannt," she continued, jerking a thumb over each shoulder, one at Wrex and one at Cowabunga. "Get to the shuttles. Some of you will be with the elcor on the Waikiki, the rest of you on the Normandy." She looked back at Wrex fondly. "Wish me luck."

"Shepard, you don't need luck," he said, shaking her offered hand. "Now get out there and kill Saren. Again."

"I intend to," she said firmly, falling in behind the departing warriors. She just had to pick up Jondam, the new weapons Hackett had agreed to transfer to them, and then board Omega and face down a massive invading force who alternately wanted to eat her, or turn her into a Reaper. No problem.


	24. Chapter 24

_Author's Note: Sorry this is uploading so late today. I've had to deal with idiots at work this morning. Just for the safety record, apparently masturbating while on a motorcycle is a really bad idea; who'd have thought? I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and I always love reading everyone's reviews!_

* * *

They spent a day on the Citadel, as the Council demanded an update on Omega. They weren't happy that she'd gotten information from the Shadow Broker, but after showing the video feeds of yahg eating people in the corridors, and Aria's capture, a pale Tevos told them to just get on with it.

Two more days were spent on Arcturus. Hackett had the best weapon mods brought out from Alliance labs, and two independent firms showed up to try and convince her and Jondam to buy their wares. Cowabunga and three of the other elcor put on a show at one of the firing ranges on the station, sharing the range with some of the troops that had helped liberate Dekunna. Even Altakiril had finally been cleared, but all that really meant was that Saren and the Collectors had managed to spirit hundreds of thousands of husked turian and elcor troops somewhere else.

Six hours out from their decided departure time, she stumbled into the med bay after a thirty-six hour marathon of scanning video feeds along with Tali, Jondam, and Urdnot Brant, the leader of the krogan contingent. Omega was home to a couple million people, containing almost as much cubic footage as Long Island, and from what they saw on the video, most of the residents had given about as good as they'd gotten.

She was rummaging in one of the medicine cabinets when an angry voice stopped her. "Commander Shepard, just what do you think you're doing?" Chakwas demanded.

"Just looking for a minor sedative," Jane answered, holding up the bottle of pills. "Look, I need sleep that's not going to be filled with horrific dreams about watching Collectors husk people, or yahg eat them. These things aren't addictive, and you've given them to me before." She squinted down at the label, frowning slightly. "At least, I think it was these ones."

"Honestly, Shepard, give me that before you spend the next two hours vomiting in the bathroom," Chakwas demanded, swiping the bottle out of her hands and replacing it. "Unless you have a sudden need for generic turian antibiotics?" Shepard winced at her pointed tone, and waited patiently while the doctor opened a different cabinet, pouring out two small green capsules into her outstretched hand. "Lucky for you, I'm a light sleeper. And installed an intruder alarm on all of the cabinets after the last time Jack came up here."

"Thanks, doc," Shepard said, dry-swallowing the pills hastily. "I'll get out of your hair."

"Not so fast. EDI, lock the door if she tries to leave." Shepard turned back to glare at Chakwas as the older woman smiled humorlessly. "Sit down, this will only take a minute," she ordered, pulling a scanner out of a drawer.

"Jesus, Karin, can't this wait until after the mission?" One finger was promptly laid across her lips, so she was forced to settle for glaring angrily.

"Jane, I'm going to show you three pictures, and then I'll explain what they mean." Shepard raised an eyebrow, both at the fact that the doc had used her first name, and at the unusually sad tone she used. "This is a routine brain scan from your service record, taken in the last physical you had before reporting to the Normandy." Chakwas flipped pictures, and the next scan had a bright concentration of red at a spot near the center. "This is the scan I took shortly after Virmire." She pulled up the last picture, and the red area had grown brighter and larger. "This is just now."

Shepard looked at her, shrugging her shoulders and spreading her hands. "The red is the amount of stress hormones in your brain. If you weren't on a Spectre mission right now, I'd be relieving you of duty. Those are the kinds of levels normally seen in people who just finished experiencing extremely traumatic events. Like the soldiers coming off of Altakiril and Dekunna. I personally haven't seen one this bad since I treated some poor soldier who survived a thresher maw attack on Akuze." She sat down heavily in the chair at her desk. "Actually, I'm still tempted to medically ground you, and tell Jondam to take over."

"You can't," Shepard blurted out. "The krogan won't follow him if I'm off the mission. I'm not sure about the elcor, either."

Chakwas nodded reluctantly. "That's the only reason I'm not pulling doctor's privilege right now. But after this, when we've accomplished finding Saren and doing something to even temporarily break the Collector hold on the station, you are taking time off. I will pull rank, I will go straight to Hackett or even Shastri if I have to," she threatened as Shepard opened her mouth to complain. "I get it, Commander. You saw that horrific future. I don't want to see Dekunna happening to Earth, Palaven, Thessia, or any other planet in the galaxy. But you're going to burn yourself out if you can't stop for a breather. This isn't a sprint, it's an endurance match."

With even more reluctance, Shepard finally nodded. "Alright, doctor. Am I free to go crawl into my bed before these pills finish kicking in?" she asked, almost sarcasm-free.

"I suppose. EDI, you can unlock the door now," Chakwas said gently.

After she left, the AI's hologram popped up. "You are aware that I do not have to follow Alliance protocol in regards to medical decisions?"

Chakwas fixed the holographic ball with a gimlet stare. "Would you really let Shepard burn out, and ruin her own chances of stopping the Reapers for good?" Rather than answer, the hologram winked out. "I didn't think so," Chakwas said imperiously, and went back to bed.

* * *

Eight hours later, the Normandy and the Waikiki drifted slowly towards Omega. They had arrived in-system two hours ago from the relay, and the place was deserted. A few ships were coming and going on FTL from other systems in the cluster, but the normal bustle of ships going between the relay and the station was completely absent. Once their course towards the station was clear, they were given an even wider berth.

"With Certainty: The two bays on H deck are the closest we can land. Curiously: Unless you intend to blast some of the other ships free of their moorings?" Shepard shot a dark look at the hologram of the elcor, who picked up the human expression admirably. "Defensively: I wasn't suggesting it seriously."

She shook her head. "No, I think your suggestion is good. The other option is to split up our forces. I'm pretty sure your team, with ten krogan along, will draw most of the Collector resistance, if you're game."

"Uncertainly: I do not think it is wide for us to split our forces before we identify where to send them." They would be docking one level up from Afterlife, which realistically meant around four stories away from the VIP area. Unfortunately, from what she remembered of the station, finding stairs large enough for the elcor to safely move through was going to be difficult.

"I agree with you. Our bays are five hundred meters away, so we'll meet up as quickly as possible, then see about getting down to Afterlife."

"With determination: Agreed. Badassfully: We are ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and our mouths are not designed for gum." Cowabunga cut the comm as people on the bridge started snickering.

"Isn't he adorable?" Kelly said, bright and chipper as always.

"All hands, this is Shepard. I want everyone in full armor, with enviro seals active. If anyone tries to take the ship, EDI is under orders to blow the atmosphere out, and separate from the station if you have to. I'd rather have to jump a kilometer and have Joker throw out a net for us than risk letting these assholes take the Normandy." She paused to glare at the yeoman, who picked up her helmet, stuffing her hair into it. "Boarding party, report to the shuttle bay. We'll be landing in five."

She swung by the armory briefly, picking up the prototype arc projector, as well as her trusty missile launcher. When the elevator opened on the shuttle bay, she looked out over her whole group. All of the Khel and Ulluthyr krogan, and the two Urdnot, stood in a companionable knot off to one side. Opposite them was a smaller group of Ashley, Jondam, Tali, Jack, Legion, and Garrus. She still wished she'd been able to reach Kasumi, but the wily thief had disappeared sometime while they were on Rannoch. "Everyone ready?" she asked, mostly rhetorically, checking her own pistol.

All of the krogan slammed their hands together, pulling out their weapons, mostly shotguns and assault rifles, though one of the Khel was sporting a pair of pistols. Garrus quickly handed Legion back his sniper rifle, the geth examining it curiously. "We did not believe it possible to achieve an additional two point four percent penetration on this model," it said in a tone of voice that nearly expressed clear shock.

"Calibrating is more of an art than a science," Garrus replied confidently.

"We do not understand what painting a bowl of fruit has to do with calibrating weapons, Vakarian-Operative," Legion added. Jack promptly started giggling again.

"We are entering the landing zone now," EDI announced. "I have local control over all doors and environmental systems. Opening shuttle bay doors now." The AI hologram disappeared from the display next to the elevator, so Shepard was probably the only one who heard the final, "Good luck," through her helmet.

In clean, practiced motions, the krogan leapfrogged out of the cargo boxes they had set up as last ditch defenses, moving out into the bay. It was empty at the moment, but the hacking and landing had probably not gone unnoticed. On the upside, she had remembered the seeker countermeasure, and everyone had one of the little devices attached to their armor, just in case.

They stormed out into the corridor, straight into the oncoming patrol of Collectors. They were troublesome, but Harbinger was either occupied elsewhere, or they took them down too quickly for the Reaper to pull his little techno-possession. The two Spectres hadn't even fired a shot yet, mostly letting the krogan take the load. They turned left, heading towards the elcor landing bay, the echoes of the firing already clear.

"Tauntingly: Is that the best you have?" A yahg roared in response, and an overlapping trio of responses obliterated whatever the elcor said next. _Hopefully, along with that yahg_, Shepard thought, as they jogged quickly down the curved corridor. They finally came into view of a line of krogan warriors standing between the elcor and six other yahg, trading shots. No live Collectors were within view, but several small piles of already-decaying corpses spoke to the yahg's backup.

Jondam's mind moved as fast as Shepard's, but his mouth was a little faster. "Behind us!" he shouted as he whirled, launching a massive plasma burst. A yahg roared in surprise, his cloaking field shorting out as the plasma caught him in the face.

"There's another one!" the pistol-packing krogan shouted, opening fire. The stealth field shimmered, the yahg's outline clear with each connecting shot, but not falling until their enemy had reached them, picking up the unfortunate Khel in both hands. To their surprise, he dropped one of his pistols, which swung wildly on a tether from his wrist, and punched the yahg right in the mouth, shattering several teeth and making it drop him. A moment later, the yahg bulged, blood suddenly pouring from its mouth, and collapsed.

They were facing five of their own, even as they backed away towards the elcor, firing as rapidly as they could. Her usual tactic, of using a gravity slam or a singularity, was nearly useless against opponents who outmassed krogan at least three-to-one, but her warps were shattering their armor faster than they were used to. Shoving her pistol against the holster point on her armor, she brought around the arc projector, aiming at the yahg in the back, and opened fire.

To her surprise, the electrical beam twisted in mid-air, striking one in the middle before jumping through two more as they curved off to the right. She held down the trigger as the krogan held off the two not locked twitching, and Garrus and Legion both lined up their headshots on the first one. As soon as they fired, she let go, waiting for the weapon to recharge; that yahg wasn't going to charge them with half his head missing.

Two more minutes of fighting went by, to the point only one yahg, smart enough to hide behind the very thick cover of a cargo container full of platinum ingots, was left. That was when Shepard heard the voice she'd been waiting for. **"I will deal with Shepard. Capture the rest."** Harbinger came around the corner in a Collector puppet, glowing brightly with a dozen Collectors, half a dozen Marauders, and two husked elcor behind him.

"Mockingly: We are not going anywhere until you buy us dinner and a movie first," Grommet said, his trio of railguns whining as they locked onto the husked elcor opposite him. "Angrily: Come get some, you demon!" The railguns went off with their familiar bass crack, and the husk staggered as one foreleg was blown off at the shoulder.

To their surprise, it simply reached out, grabbed a marauder, and they watched the husked turian simply liquefy and adhere as a new foreleg. "Ok, that is incredibly disturbing," Urdnot Brant said. "He's only got five more, though," he snorted dismissively. "Hey, ugly! Yeah, you," he shouted at Harbinger, as the glowing figure paused in astonishment. "I've about had it with you and your tricks. Yeah, you can beat the crap out of the elcor and the turians. Big deal. When was the last time you faced down a squad of krogan warriors?"

Harbinger promptly threw a shockwave at Brant, only to have it countered and reversed by Jack, bowling two more Collectors over and even staggering Harbinger as everyone opened fire again. On the upside, the husked elcor didn't have the massive heavy weapon harnesses the Kahunas did. Or at least, Shepard thought that until one of them unhinged its jaw, leveling it at Hang Ten. A brutal wash of blue-white flame poured out over the elcor, her shields shimmering under the assault.

Before Shepard could go to her aid, one of the Gatatog krogan charged in, ducking into a perfect base-stealing slide right underneath the krogan, emptying four rounds into its belly from inside the husk's shields. The fuel reserves, evidently taking the place of its intestines, poured out over the floor. "Who's the badass now, huh?" the krogan challenged, firing his next shot into the floor, the sparks igniting the fuel.

He obviously hadn't considered the fact that he was also covered in it, a fact brought to his attention a second later when all of the fuel went up in an air-sucking fireball, the husked elcor incinerating from the inside out. "Times like this, I wonder what the hell my ancestors were thinking, uplifting the krogan," Jondam shouted over the sounds of battle, coating the krogan in a cryo blast to smother his flames. Shepard didn't answer, too busy flinging another warp at Harbinger and trying to line up the arc projector on him.

"Ah, screw it," she finally snarled, aiming at the last Marauder standing and pulling the trigger. Three Collectors were caught in it too, their nearly motionless bodies easily decapitated by the snipers. The other elcor died a moment later, facing the withering fire of sixteen miniguns, and then it was only Harbinger against twenty pissed off krogan, thirteen even more pissed off elcor, and Shepard's six companions. It took them about two seconds of concentrated fire to turn him into ashes. "Alright, that could have gone better," she panted, stowing the weapon on her back again.

"Proudly: That could have gone worse. No one died," Cowabunga said.

"Disdainfully: Not for lack of trying," Soul Arch muttered. The burned Gatatog was growling at that, but Shepard cut them both off.

"Get some medigel on those burns, I know they don't heal. According to the map, the nearest stairs large enough for the Kahunas to take down to G level is, um," she paused to consult her omni-tool briefly. "Two kilometers mostly that way," she pointed down past the elcor ship berth. "Let's move out, because now that Harbinger knows we're here, he'll be sending more soldiers, and quickly."

Weapons ready, they headed out at an elcor jog into the depths of Omega.


	25. Chapter 25

_Author's Note: Twenty five chapters. Honestly, I can hardly believe that I've written that much on two stories now. This chapter has some lovely ass-kicking moments from krogan, elcor, and the Normandy squad, so I hope everyone enjoys it. I know, it should have been posted up on Friday, but I spent the end of the week and weekend with some massive writer's block, so I read all of __Hybrid Theory__, the best self-insert I've ever found (it's in the Ranma 1/2 section if your're interested, but try not to hold that against it)._

_Want to leave a review that grabs my attention? Swing by the Aria's Afterlife forum, here on FF, and check out the "How to Review" thread._

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Shepard dove behind a planter box. Or, some blithering part of her mind continued, it would be a planter box if it was actually filled with plants. Instead it was filled with years of refuse and garbage then smothered in the blood and viscera of at least two different species, giving it a most pungent aroma of death and hopelessness. A beam rifle went sizzling along the top of it, missing her completely and breaking that utterly morbid train of thought.

"They seem to be bringing heavier resistance," Garrus shouted as he thumped down next to her. She just nodded, reaching to her belt for her grenades, only to fumble at the empty magnetic attachments before glancing down. Wordlessly, she held a hand out, palm up, to the turian, who shot her an annoyance filled glance. "I'm a sniper, Shepard, I don't carry grenades." He popped up, taking a Collector's arm off at the elbow before dropping back down.

As Shepard started to peek over, intending to warp or shockwave – she hadn't decided which quite yet – she saw an incoming grenade being lobbed their way, and instead hurriedly gravity slammed it back towards their opponents. She wasn't sure if it landed at the feet of the same marauder who threw it, but the resulting explosion was gratifying to watch anyway. "Maybe you should start," she chided Garrus cheerfully, firing her pistol wildly at an elcor husk.

"With stress and worry: We are about to be flanked," Wax shouted, turning his miniguns on the nearest alleyway, cutting down four Collectors before Wipe Out turned her flamethrowers on the yahg. "Desperately: I can see more elcor husks coming our direction," he continued.

"Firmly: Hold the line," Cowabunga said, his own miniguns spitting down the alleyway as the first came into view. "With inspiration: Gnarly, use your rocket launchers on the buildings, we can block their path." The other elcor moved forward, three rockets no bigger than Shepard's fist shooting halfway down the alley before slamming into the side of one store, shattering the wall. But the rubble, while an annoyance, wasn't anywhere near enough to slow down the elcor husks or their yahg escort. "Annoyed: Stop trying to blow it up and blow it up!"

Several of the krogan were pitching in, hurling their own grenades down the alley, the enclosed space amplifying the explosive force as razor-sharp shrapnel, cryogenic particles, plasma flares, and good old-fashioned rock fragments filled the air. "And that is why I like carrying grenades," Shepard said.

"Shepard-Commander, if we cannot block or eradicate those forces in the next thirty point five seconds, there is a ten percent chance of our escaping this passageway alive," Legion said, accepting a nasty burn to one shoulder pauldron from a Collector beam weapon before his sniper rifle detonated its head. Three of the Gatatog immediately dropped behind their own cover, muttering quickly in krogan.

She watched as Jack and Jondam executed a perfect synchronized attack, the adept yanking up the last three marauders in a singularity as Jondam hit them with a cryo freeze, then detonated the singularity, sending the frozen corpses flying backwards, cracking their armor and most of their exposed skin as they hit the wall beyond.

Focusing on the charging yahg in the alley, she caught the ripple of a cloaking field, hitting it with a warp, marking it on her HUD with a flick of her tongue. Garrus and Legion both fired at the nearly invisible enemy, the turian taking it in one knee while the geth hit its heavy assault rifle, sending the weapon spinning behind it, crushed under the lumbering feet of the husked elcor. "Fuck, there's got to be twenty of them," Shepard whispered to herself. Only the narrowness of the alley, barely wide enough for a yahg to move past an elcor if they both pressed up against the wall, was saving them. The lead husk was already spitting out bullets from the minigun implanted where the lower half of its chest used to be.

The same Gatatog who had gotten himself burned suddenly raced into the alley, jinking back and forth as the elcor tried to fire at him. Several rounds blew apart his shields as he ducked past the wounded yahg, and she could see the bursts of blood as the heavy rounds punched through his body. "I am Gatatog Orid, and I'm your escort to the belly of Kalros today!" he roared, diving underneath the elcor. The bayonet on the end of his shotgun ripped open the elcor's guts, then he was diving past to the next one, spilling gallons of flamethrower fuel.

"That is one crazy-ass krogan," Garrus said in admiration, picking off the last Collector blocking their path. "Do we wait for him to turn around and come back?" The lead husk suddenly jerked as one of Legion's shots took it in one eye. All the rest of the krogan were clustered at the corners of the building, or actively moving crates and a dumpster for better cover.

Before Shepard could make up her mind, a massive fireball erupted from the middle of the husk column. They could see yahg burning in the middle, even as they turned their weapons on the building walls around them, desperate to escape the inferno. The husks continued to lumber forward slowly, but the massed firepower finally stopped the first one a meter from the end of the alley.

"Respectfully: The path forward is clear," Tandem said, his own miniguns spinning slowly. "We should move before the next batch of reinforcements can catch us."

"Right," Shepard said, a little numbly. The yahg hadn't managed to make it out of that blaze, so there was no hope for Gatatog Orid. It was a little odd feeling sorry for him after the way she'd mostly written off the whole Gatatog clan after meeting Uvenk. "Right," she repeated more firmly. "Let's go. Those stairs are only a hundred meters away."

They lumbered forward, Jondam often racing forward to scout with Jack or Urdnot Brant by his side. Reaching the stairs, everyone moved inside. It was wide enough for two elcor to go down side by side without bumping the walls, and in a hurry most of the krogan could probably even squeeze between them. As they got inside, Duck Dive turned around, pulling out an elcor-sized welding torch. "Unsure: Should I close the doors to prevent them from following us, or leave them open to facilitate our retreat later?" she asked.

Shepard looked at Jondam, who hesitated half a second before nodding. "Close it," the salarian ordered. "Melt it at the doorframes, it will hold longer." Duck Dive nodded back, already tracing the flame across the top of the door, joining together the frame and the door as the metal dripped together. "Four stories down, then one kilometer to Afterlife," Jondam continued, taking the lead again.

They walked down the stairs cautiously, Duck Dive pausing to seal every door out. They made it three stories before human and turian husks started popping up, charging them from below. Of course, that gave the krogen a perfect line of fire, backed up by Cowabunga and Floater firing their miniguns over everyone's head. Reaching their floor, the two of them, flanking Khel Ucard, stepped down far enough for everyone else to exit, maintaining the fire rate, blowing away the husks continuing to pour in from the lower levels.

"One thing worries me," Jondam said as they ducked into cover, taking down a squad of batarians as everyone moved into the wide thoroughfare.

"What's that?" Shepard asked. "Like I didn't have enough to worry about," she added under her breath.

"Vorcha are among the most resilient members of Omega's population. They made up nearly a quarter of the beings here. We've seen human, turian, batarian, elcor husks. Why are there no vorcha husks?" He didn't wait for an answer, moving forward with Brant and Jack both, pausing behind an overturned aircar to look around the corner they needed to take, out towards the main cavern and Afterlife. "Never mind, question answered."

"Fuck me sideways," Jack muttered, her eyes wide.

Shepard dashed up to meet them, peeking around the car. Her own eyes went wide and her blood chilled as she looked up ahead. They stood a dozen wide, at least three times that deep. Ranks of husked vorcha, skin turned gray and silvery with red and blue lines of light tracing over their body. In perfect unison, the entire front rank inhaled sharply, and then the entire mob unhinged their jaws. "Blood!" The shout came from nearly a hundred throats, echoing between the garish neon signs and rattling their bones.

Without another word of warning, the vorcha husks raced forward, all semblance of order and discipline broken as they reverted to mob behavior. The four of them ran from the car, racing for the safety of their companions and lines of massed firepower. Jack looked back, lifting a hand and sending a shockwave slamming into the car, flipping it three feet into the air to crash into the first line of charging husks.

The thoroughfare here was wide enough to fit half the elcor side by side, and with a little creative climbing, Gnarly and Close Out were firing their rockets over everyone's head, blasting holes in the charging ranks.

"Badassfully: Git some. Git some," Grommet said, his railgun shots blowing straight through two vorcha before finally being stopped by the feeble shields of a third.

**"****I will handle this-"** The familiar voice came from further down the road, and was suddenly cut off by another crack from the railguns. Shepard paused a moment to see Harbinger's would-be host falling from the sky in pieces.

"Dismissively: I have heard enough from you," Grommet added.

"With concern: My fuel reserves are at fifty percent," Duck Dive said.

"Then pick up these bastards and throw them," Ucard shouted, his massive pistols a blur as he fired almost as fast as he could pull the triggers, each one leaving a vorcha husk headless. "You're nothing but cheap imitations! Krogans are the real thing!"

"Less talky, more shooty," Ashley admonished them, slinging her assault rifle as it overheated, falling back next to Garrus and Legion as she pulled out her sniper rifle. With three snipers now working, the Collectors flying in along the ceiling were dropping onto their troops below almost without getting off a shot.

One moment, there was a bloodthirsty horde charging at them, and then there was silence. Even with the VI-run noise dampening, Shepard's head was ringing. Part of that, she was sure, was from pushing her biotics much harder than normal. The shockwaves she and Jack had been launching had each thrown a handful of husks into the air, easy picking for the miniguns and slowing the charge.

"Alright, keep moving. Krogan, if any of these bodies so much as twitch, put a bullet in their eyes," Shepard ordered, holstering her pistol long enough to shake out her hand. "We've still got most of a kilometer to go, and they haven't even brought out the big guns yet."

"Curiously: Our unfortunate husked brethren do not count as the big guns?" Floater asked, moving forward on three legs as he attempted to reattach an armor panel.

"They haven't brought out the asari or krogan husks yet, and that cavern is big enough to fit a harvester." All of the krogan turned to look at her. "I don't know if they _have_ harvesters here, but I'm just saying, it's possible."

"Shepard, you're a regular font of cheer and goodwill," Garrus muttered. "What the hell is a harvester?"

"Giant flying creature on Tuchanka," Brant explained. "Tough sons of bitches. They store bladders of hydrogen gas that they can breathe out and ignite, and they tend to carry around klixen to soften up whatever they want to eat."

"Just how giant is giant?" Ashley asked nervously.

Gatatog Prak pointed from one neon sign they were passing, then up ahead to another one thirty meters away. "That's the wingspan. The body's only about half that long." He grinned with pride, motioning to the bizarrely rippled plates covering his hump. "Got to fight in a krannt that faced one. We lasted ten minutes before it gave up and left hungry." He chortled at the memory. "Well, mostly hungry."

For the first time since they boarded the station, Tali spoke up. "Are you telling me we're going into that cavern to face a _dragon_?" she exclaimed.

Shepard blinked as she considered it. Thirty meter wingspan, breathes fire, how did she never put together that they were, basically, dragons? "Um, possibly."

"I've read that book, Shepard," the quarian said menacingly, swapping mods on her shotgun. "If he," she pointed at Jondam, "starts climbing the walls and hissing about his 'Precious' then I'm going back to the Normandy." Wipe Out and Surf's Up chuckled, along with Khel Ucard, but all three of the humans looked blank. Tali sighed heavily. "It's a sad day when a quarian knows more of your culture than you do."

Just then, an unearthly shriek echoed down the corridors. Shepard's pistol was up instantly. "And those would be the asari. Whatever you do, don't let them get close to you. They can pierce right through heavy armor." Thus warned, everyone drew slightly closer together, continuing their steady march towards Afterlife.

Two more wails echoed, one after the other, and then the first banshee came into the open from a side corridor. It was only five meters away, the biotic barrier already shimmering under massed minigun fire. Ulluthyr Dorn, however, ignored Shepard's warning, stepping closer with each blast of his shotgun, even as the banshee floated forwards. "Damnit, Dorn, back off!" Shepard shouted at him, but either he couldn't hear over the gunfire, or just ignored it.

His last shotgun blast tore out a chunk of flesh from the banshee's hip just before the vicious talons grabbed him by the head and the hump, jerking sharply. All of the krogan winced at the sucking, tearing sound of the main protective headplate being pulled away. The banshee's body was jerking under the impacts, but she still had time to reach down with one blue-blood-stained hand, plunging it through the skull all the way to the elbow. Ulluthyr Dorn jerked spasmodically for a moment before falling to the ground. The banshee followed it a moment later.

Remembering the second wail, Shepard whirled around, tracking her HUD instead of the corridor. "Floater, look out!" she shouted, and the elcor was already turning when both hands smashed into his side. Armor plates heavy enough to protect vehicles shredded like foil as the banshee raked her talons down the length of his body, and everyone scrambled to get around Floater to try and aim safely.

With speed not usually seen in elcor, Floater's arm shot out, grabbing the banshee by the ankles, whirling her around and smashing her into the floor. Then up, over, and back into the floor again, whipped back and forth as he used her body to pulverize the rock floor. "Dismissively: Puny husk," he said, stepping backwards to give Jondam the chance to set her on fire.

Looking over his shoulder at the damage done to his armor, Floater paused. "Afraid: Incom-" The rest of it was cut off as a brute slammed into his side, the bulging muscles bursting through the already weakened plates, spraying blood everywhere. One giant hand yanked outward, internal organs dripping obscenely as Floater toppled to the ground.

It hurled the handful of organs at Ashley even as she dodged aside, but one piece of intestines whipped around, catching her hip and sending her tumbling to the ground. Both Shepard and Jack strained, dropping it in a field of nearly twelve G, still barely enough to slow the beast as it swung ponderously at Khel Ucard, the pistol-packing krogan dodging nimbly and popping both shots into its kneecap.

"Adjusting for additional gravity," Legion informed her needlessly. But his next shot punctured one of the brute's eyes. Garrus' follow up shot, barely half a second later, punched in right behind it, liquefying whatever brains the beast still had. It lumbered on its feet for a few seconds longer, swinging blindly, then fell heavily. "Shepard-Commander, more forces are headed this direction. We must move with all possible speed." It looked at Cowabunga, dipping faceplates in an expression she recognized as sorrow. "If we move at elcor speed, we will be caught."

She looked over at Cowabunga, face bleak. "Bravely: Do not be afraid for us, Commander. Proudly: We are elcor fighters. We are the best of the best. With gung-ho fervor: We are the Big Dekunna Kahunas, and we will not surrender to cybernetic wash-outs like these!" All eleven elcor trumpeted a war cry, echoing through the tunnels and daring the Reaper and yahg forces to come.

"We'll be back for you, Cowabunga," Shepard promised, holding in tears. "Soon as we gain control, we'll be back for you." She turned to run down the corridor, surrounded by lumbering krogan, with Garrus instantly by her side.

"The brutal calculus of war," he said grimly.

She glanced up at him, pistol back on her hip as she pumped her legs. "Why don't this seem hard to you?" she gasped out.

"Turian boot camp includes forty kilometer runs every week. Runs, plural, I point out." He was grinning inside his helmet, she was sure. "This is a light jog."

"I hate you right now," she panted out. "Also, I failed calculus," she added a few breaths later. He just laughed more, and they broke out into the main cavern.

Every skidded to a halt as they saw the forces arrayed against them. A dozen yahg, four brutes, and at least forty mixed turian, batarian, and human husks. But everyone's eyes were drawn to the harvester, flapping wings fifty meters wide to stay aloft, and the banshee that sat astride its neck.

"Commander Shepard, how nice of you to join us," Aria called out.

"How about you shut up and die?" Shepard shouted, cutting off the broadcaster to continue gasping for breath. She had covered half a kilometer in just over a minute, in full armor, and was still in better shape than Tali or Ashley.

"Now now, Shepard, that's no way to talk to my queen," Saren said as he stepped through the crowd of husks. "Join us, Shepard. Join the only cause worth fighting for."

She snorted, and pointed her pistol at him, even as her eyes and tongue designated targets on her HUD for everyone else. "Join the side fighting for the extermination of intelligent life? No thanks, I'll pass."

"You cannot hope to succeed, Shepard," Saren said warningly, his hand already dropping to the pistol at his side.

"That's where you're wrong. I'm not going to fail. I'm not even going to tie. I'm going to kick the Reapers so hard whoever's living in the next galaxy over knows about it." She narrowed her eyes, targeting carefully. "I will never give up, I will never surrender, and I will never be Indoctrinated by the likes of you and your jumped up stripper over there."

She pulled the trigger, and the battle was on.


	26. Chapter 26

_Author's Note: Epic battles, epic deaths, and if a surrender can be called epic, then there's that too. Sadly, this chapter is suffering from a critical lack of epic elcor, but you haven't seen the last of the Kahunas._

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Shepard's banter with Saren had been a stalling tactic, to give her enough time to quickly designate their battle plan. Even with nineteen krogan, they were still outnumbered around three to one. Then they had to hope they could take down Saren and Aria without either of them managing to escape, and do so in enough time to go back for the rest of the Kahunas. To do so, they had to whittle down these forces quickly. As the old saw went, it wasn't the bullet with your name on it you had to worry about, it was the thousands labeled 'occupant.'

With that in mind, she'd designated the husks primary; the yahg and brutes as secondary; then Saren and Aria on her harvester. Sure, a brute could kill you in one or two hits – but if they had room to dodge, it'd give them slightly better odds. She at least had the pleasure of watching Saren's gobsmacked expression as her perfectly targeted shot took the marauder next to him right in the mouth, its mandible spinning up into the air as it dropped.

To her surprise, the krogan had timed their shots in unison, a slamming wall of gunfire as they scattered. All three of the Gatatog warriors charged the lines of husks, putting their shotguns to better work in the close quarters. Khel Ucard and his three clanmates retreated to a nearby aircar, then seized it by the corners, lifting it above their heads as their shields shimmered, hurling it with brute force at a yahg. The muscular creature was staggered, but not dropped, by the impact. Jack decided to help by hitting it with a shockwave, spinning the car around and knocking the yahg and a half dozen husks over the edge. Of course, a four story drop might not be enough to kill a yahg, but at least it would be out of the combat for a while.

Hearing a shriek overhead, Shepard rolled away only a fraction of a second before her cover vanished, clutched in one giant harvester paw. A moment later, it banked away, coming back to hurl it, smashing three husks and Gatatog Prak into paste.

Her HUD pinged, and Shepard fired wildly at the elcor husks, currently pouring flame down indiscriminately at all the krogan. All but one or two batarian husks were down – along with three of her krogan, and Ucard was limping as he dueled a brute. She looked up, following the prompt, to see a tanker hanging off an upper level, just stable enough not to fall – yet. "Garrus, I hope you know what you're doing," she muttered, using a singularity and a throw to send the thing tumbling free towards the open space.

A moment later, Jack hit it with another throw, hurling the tank towards the harvester. Aria saw it coming, trying to pull her mount aside, but two sniper shots blew through the tank, hydrogen gas spewing out as it thudded into a hind leg with an audible crack. Then Jondam fired a plasma flare at it.

A fireball the size of Afterlife engulfed the harvester, both the beast and the banshee shrieking in agony. The fireball sucked everyone towards the edge before throwing them back again, fighting for breath. Yet when the flames cleared, Aria and the harvester were still there, wings flapping mightily to stay aloft. "You think cheap tricks like that can stop me, Shepard?"

Her response was a singularity, aimed not at Aria, but right below one of the wings right as it hit apogee. As the wing came down, it met the singularity, and ripped a hole through the wing large enough to admit a krogan without touching the sides. It immediately tried to save itself, trying to glide towards the open street, only for its tail to catch the singularity again. As the unfortunate beast lurched downward, its head slammed into the street level, giving Khel Larad a chance to put his shotgun right up to one eye and pull the trigger.

As it slid backwards over the side, Aria leapt off, stalking towards Shepard and gathering biotic power in both taloned fists. "How dare you," she shrieked, swatting aside Ulluthyr Mirad as the krogan opened fire. "Omega is mine! I am queen! I rule the Terminus, and I will not let some jumped up monkey take that away from me!"

Shepard dove out of the way as Aria let loose with one throw after another, blasting holes in the walls and storefronts, rolling desperately to keep herself free from having an aircar thrown into her. The banshee was laughing hysterically, her power seemingly bottomless. It took Shepard a moment to realize it had cut off, and she rose trembling to her feet.

Jondam was standing behind her, Aria's mouth moving silently as blue blood pooled out the back of her neck. "Her biotic barrier was tuned for high-velocity impacts, not slow intrusions." He held up the glowing omni-blade. "Severing spinal column halts biotic abilities, while possibly allowing retrieval for questioning."

"Jondam, look out!" she shouted, even as she reached out to put a biotic barrier around him.

Before it could take effect, Saren had grabbed the salarian by both horns and yanked his hands apart. Jondam's skull shattered under the cybernetically enhanced strength, blood and brain matter spraying over Saren and Aria both. "I have had about enough of you, Shepard," Saren sneered. "First you go and kill my clones, you destroy Sovereign, you blow up the Conduit. Now you dare to threaten me here? The Reapers will win, Shepard! Nothing you do can stop it! All you're doing is undermining my ability to save some of us from extinction."

"Just like they saved the Protheans, right?" she retorted. "What about the Inusannon? Maybe you should ask the Keepers how much they like their subjugation." Her eyes were flicking rapidly around the battlefield. Half the krogans were either dead, or at least incapacitated, but the enemy was down to four yahg and one elcor. Legion and Garrus had vanished from sight, but Ashley was teamed up with Brant and Mirad, staggering shotgun blasts in a steady rolling blast, forcing another yahg back towards the edge.

Right as Saren opened his mouth to respond, Jack came leaping at him from behind, fists glowing. Without even looking, he reached back, grabbing her by the throat and unleashing a full-force punch to her ribs. "The grown-ups are talking, child," he mocked, tossing her aside. She hit the ground heavily, sliding sideways, frothy blood spraying from her mouth. "Recognize the inevitability, Shepard! Help me save as much of our species as I can!"

Pushing up onto her elbows, Jack laughed at him, in between coughing for breath. "You think that's going to stop me?" she demanded, spitting blood. "I grew up as a fucking Cerberus test subject!" She levered up to one knee, then stood shakily with her left arm clutched carefully around the bottom of her crushed rib cage. "The Illusive Man talks a better game than you've shown yet."

"Are you really going to let your pet mouth off, Shepard?" Saren said, one hand dropping to his own pistol. "Maybe I should just put her down here, and end her pain."

"Jack is many things, but she's no one's pet. You, though?" Shepard sidestepped slightly, increasing the distance between herself and the other adept. "You're just another pathetic clone."

Saren's face twisted in fury, and as he raised his pistol, Shepard's hand was already clenching. Her singularity shot out, causing him to jerk his arm quickly to the side. He was no brainless harvester, after all. Then Jack shoved him into it anyway. The turian's eyes went wide, his mandibles drooped, as the singularity carved a hole the size of his head straight through the middle of his abdomen. His body flopped to one side without spinal support, the singularity finally winking out and dropping a heavily compacted ball of organs and viscera to the ground.

"Shepard!" She looked around wildly, trying to track the voice, finally settling on Urdnot Brant. Her vision was spinning from overusing her biotics, static clawing into her peripheral view. "They've retreated into the club! We need to go after them!"

She hesitated, turning towards Jack, even as the younger biotic was busy smearing dollops of medigel over her entire torso. "Go, damnit. I really have had worse." Jack paused, coughing up another mouthful of bloody froth. "Not lately, maybe," she conceded as Shepard carefully pulled a tattooed arm over her own shoulders to carry her.

"If I leave you out here, you'll be overrun. It's just good tactical sense," she said as they hobbled forward. "Brant! Is the inside clear?"

"How the hell should I know? Ask the quarian, she said something about hacking the security cameras," the krogan shot back. The nine remaining krogan were forming up for a charge, with the occasional quiet plink of a bullet being forced out by regeneration and hitting the floor.

Shepard looked around, realizing that at the moment, the only people standing were the krogan, herself, and Jack. "Where did everyone else go?" she shouted. _Not Garrus,_ she thought numbly. _Not him, not after I finally got him to recognize how I feel, not now that he returns it!_

The krogan spread out, looking through the devastation, but it was rather quick work to determine that the only dead turians and humans were the husks, and there were no quarian or geth either. "Where the hell did they go?" Khel Larad demanded. "They couldn't have just vanished."

"Did the yahg or the husks knock any of them over the edge?" Shepard asked, her voice trembling.

"Ucard, Mirad, look inside, just in case they beat us inside," Brant ordered. The two krogans hustled up towards the front doors of Afterlife, which opened normally for them. The corridor into the club was dark and deserted, the doors into the main part of the club closed.

"We have to keep moving," Shepard said, her voice still trembling. Jack coughed up another wad of blood and mucas, landing it right in the open mouth of a yahg corpse. As much as she wanted to scream and rage and cry, run through the corridors of the station looking for her friends and her lost lover, she had to get in there and regain control of the station. She knew Garrus and Tali were tough, or they'd never had survived Haestrom and becoming Archangel, so there was a chance they were still alive. "We need to get in there and take control of the station."

Brandt looked at his fellow krogan before nodding decisively. "We're with you, Shepard." Grimly they trooped forward, Shepard's arm still supporting Jack as her free hand put more medigel on her ribs. The two remaining Ulluthyr started ripping the couches free, bolts shrieking as they pulled out, and they quickly had a small barricade. "Whenever you're ready," Brandt said, crouching by the door control.

Inside was a rather tense stand-off. Garrus and Ashley had their assault rifles out, standing back to back, with Legion and Tali taking up the other two points of their square, a combat drone floating in front of each of them. Surrounding them, standing a deceptively close ten meters away, was a circle of eight yahg. All of them were armed, holding pistols that probably had more force than Tali's shotgun. The central bar had been ripped out at some point, which is why everyone had enough room.

Across the room, a massive figure stood up on Aria's balcony. "You would be the leader of this expedition, then," the female said loudly. To Shepard's surprise, she was about the same size as the Shadow Broker, which might mean they were both runts, or it might mean that like humans, the females were smaller than most males. "I think we have much to discuss."

"We killed a couple dozen of you on the way here, and _now_ you want to talk?" Jack blurted out before succumbing to another coughing fit.

"_Now_ you have proven your strength and demonstrated you are worth sharing words with," the female continued calmly. "Unless you really want to pit your strength against ours." In the higher tier around the room, more yahg stood, brandishing weapons.

_Ah, shit, we're outnumbered at least two to one_, Shepard thought. "What did you want to talk about, exactly?" _Maybe if I'm really super fucking lucky for once, I can stall long enough for the Kahunas to get here._

"Your strength, and the lies clearly told to us by the one called Saren." She hardly finished before leaping off the balcony, landing just behind her ring of guards, walking just behind them over towards Shepard and the krogan. "He told us he was part of the mightiest force of the galaxy. But I listened to your words. He is a copy, and you have slain his copies before." She finally stopped on their side of the circle, in clear view under the lights. Unlike the Shadow Broker, her exposed skin was a brilliant shade of orange-yellow. "You are stronger than he is."

"Damn straight," Shepard blurted. "So, what exactly does that mean? Aside from your dead buddies here, I haven't dealt with your species."

"The strongest lead. The weak follow, or else they become food. Is that not how it is with all intelligent species?" The yahg stilled, all eight black eyes focused on Shepard – as far as she could tell, anyway.

"It's a little more complicated than that. There're different kinds of strengths, after all," Shepard hedged, desperately trying to draw out the conversation.

"You are a greater leader than Saren. You are greater in battle than Saren. What else is there?" They locked stares for several moments.

Taking a breath, Shepard raised one hand, summoning her biotics. "Strength of the mind. Strength of focus, or of personality. Strength of skill."

"And these allowed you to defeat Saren. Yet he still lives. So are you the greater strength, or not?" The yahg did a little side shuffle, reminding Shepard of a nature documentary Kaidan had been watching once on spiders, sensing movement on their web.

"So far, I've beaten him three out of three," Shepard said, putting as much bravado into her voice as she could manage.

"So you say. If so, then perhaps you can solve the issue with him." The yahg stopped in silence, again staring with hard focus at Shepard. "We followed him because he claimed to be the strongest, and even when he died at the hands of our warriors, he came back again the next day. His flesh was poison to all who ate it, as are all of his species. So we cannot challenge him under yahg law."

Knowing she was going to regret hearing the answer, Shepard asked anyway. "Then how do you settle disagreements under yahg law?"

"The two wronged parties fight to the death, the loser is eaten, of course. But we cannot eat Saren, nor any of those who have been converted into his army." Shepard tried, very hard, not to tremble noticeably. Of course, she could see even the krogan revolting at that thought. "How does your fragile, tasty species settle disagreements, that you can be stronger than Saren?"

Shepard swallowed hard before answering. "Normally, we appoint someone impartial, who will gather all of the facts in evidence to present to another impartial judge. Depending on the crime, the judge will then render punishment."

"And what kind of punishment does your species deem sufficient?"

"That depends on the crime. For something small, it can be paying fines, or performing service. Larger or more important crimes include imprisonment or death."

"Imprisonment?" The yahg laughed, amused at the idea. "How is that a punishment?"

"Oh, that's not so hard," Jack spat at her. "Step into this corridor. Then stay here. You'll eat here, food that someone else brings you. You'll shower here, shit here, sleep here. You will never set foot outside this room unless the guards, who are all better armed than you, bigger than you, more trained than you, decide to let you out for something. All you'll ever see are these. Four. Walls." She turned aside into another coughing fit.

"And before you start thinking that we can't lock you up, can't cage you, think about how many of your people are out here in space. The Citadel Council has wiped out one species, and come damn close to doing it to a second one. They might have already decided to kill all the rest of the yahg in existence, based on the videos we got from the station," Shepard said, aiming for nonchalance. She wasn't sure how much of her body language was being properly understood by her opponent. "I mean, you were all brought here. You don't have your own ships. One or two big rocks, and everything on your planet dies. Not all at once, though there'll be plenty of that, but by inches. A dust cloud thick enough to block out the light of your sun for a year, and all the plant life dies. Then the herbivores, your prey animals, die. And when there's no food, at all, what happens then?"

"The clans will tear themselves apart, until no one is left alive," the yahg whispered.

"So what you need to be doing right now is convincing me why I should spare your pitiful, overly-muscled lives." Shepard was bluffing; with the way Jack kept coughing, she'd be useless in a fight, and if it came down to gunfire, then Tali, Legion, Ashley, and most importantly _Garrus_ would be dead in seconds.

There was silence, broken only by the heavy breathing of the krogan and Jack's weak coughing. Finally, the yahg slowly raised one hand to her face. "To all yahg, we are surrending to the invaders. The forces of the Shepard are strong; the forces of Saren are weak. We follow their lead. So declares Sarolan."


	27. Chapter 27

_Author's Note: For those of you who weren't lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Pacific Rim this weekend, like I was, it's a fun movie, and really makes me wish the Alliance had some giant goddamn mecha to face the Reapers, no matter how much they completely and utterly break the laws of physics. Coming up, two weeks of vacation time for me, during which hopefully I will be able to write quite a bit more. Lastly, since I don't mention it often enough, I love all my fans; Reloaded is now over 400 favorites, and slowly but surely moving up towards being one of the top 10 most followed ME fics on the site!_

* * *

The elcor stood in a rough line, back to back. Six faced the direction of their ship, and their escape; five faced the direction Shepard had left, rushing ahead with her krogan. "Proudly: We will hold. We are the bulwark that stands between the Reapers and the deaths of more of our brethren." Cowabunga's eyes narrowed as a horde of vorcha spilled into the street, a full two dozen yahg behind them. "Sternly: Let them come! Show them how little the beach thinks of the ocean!"

Tandem glanced at their leader, waiting for the nod, and took a small step forward as the vorcha charged them. Before they were halfway to him, the experimental weapon he had been designing whined in a register above elcor hearing, but just within that of the vorcha. The charging husks stuttered and faltered for half a second before it fired.

He called it the 'Turbonis,' after a turian spirit of air. It spit out a mass effect field with a heavy rotational spin, which acted by catching air, random debris, and even lightweight opponents like vorcha. In essence, it was a do-it-yourself tornado, perfectly named for the hostile air spirit.

The first tornado ripped into the lines, flinging vorcha husks up and out in random directions, several of them with slashing wounds from pieces of refuse yanked around at nearly two hundred kilometers per hour. Some of them struck the walls or each other hard enough to shatter bones, and when the twister finally reached the yahg, they hunkered down, holding tightly on to their weapons. Even those mighty winds were not enough to shift the brutish warriors, just as it was not quite enough to move an elcor.

"With optimism: Open fire! Keep them back while the Turbonis recharges!" Cowabunga shouted, his own miniguns promptly setting out lines of bullets. Grommet fired a railgun trio, slicing a yahg in half before his shields could recharge, and Duck Dive mixed wild sprays of flame with grabbing any vorcha foolhardy enough to enter melee range and snapping their spines before hurling them back into the throng, letting their pain-wracked spasms hurt their own allies.

But for every one they killed, two more took their place, and the vorcha husks were starting to be replaced by the more durable turian and batarian husks. Tandem stepped up again, firing the Turbonis for the second time. Twin washes of flamethrower fuel sprayed into it from both Duck Dive and Wipe Out, setting the entire tornado on fire briefly as it sucked in oxygen and flung out burning trash and husk corpses.

"Bravely: We must hold the line!" Cowabunga reaffirmed, his miniguns flicking short bursts into the bottom of the tornado. "Commander Shepard is depending on us!" The tornado finally petered out, and they opened fire again. "With trepidation: Where have all the yahg gone?"

Sure enough, all of the yahg had vanished. But that still left them with a hallway of two to three hundred husks, most of which still had their weapons. Both sides started firing, Close Out and Gnarly turning around to fire rockets at the oncoming horde since they hadn't been flanked yet. But the husks, unlike their previously-mortal selves, worked in nearly perfect harmony, focusing fire, finally taking down first Wax and then Duck Dive.

Tandem fired the Turbonis for the third time, at least disrupting the firing lines, and the elcor began a fighting retreat, slowly stepping back one foot every few seconds, keeping their footing firm as they continued to blast into the jumbled mix of husks. When the tornado cleared, they were down to only a hundred husks, stopping their retreat to duke it out again. At long last, the street was clear again, with Surf's Up added to the death toll.

They waited a moment, looking around, expecting a fresh wave of yahg, or more husks, or Collectors to appear. "Nervously: We should keep moving," Kook said, already backing up another step.

"With concern: This lack of opponents may mean Shepard needs our support," Close Out agreed.

Cowabunga didn't take long at all to nod. "Confidently: Move out. We must reach Shepard quickly."

They rounded the next corner and shuffled to a stop, already preparing their weapons at the sight of nearly fifty yahg. "You are followers of Shepard?" one of them asked.

"Boastfully: You bet your ass," Soul Arch said. "Mockingly: You think your little group can stop us from reaching her?"

The lead yahg responded by throwing back his head, giving a bellow that every other yahg joined in, rattling the buildings around them and bringing rock fragments clattering down from the ceiling. "I am going to eat your heart out," he threatened, when their shout ended at last.

Cowabunga snorted, his minigun already spinning up, when the communications devices of all the yahg broadcast simultaneously. "Curiously: What is going on now?" Gnarly asked.

"Worriedly: I am unsure," Cowabunga said, keeping his miniguns spinning. "Hopefully: Perhaps they are finding out their reinforcements have been killed by Shepard."

"Dourly: I don't think our luck is running that good today," Grommet complained.

But when the yahg finally ceased their heated conversation, the leader stepped forward, his weapon lowered. "We follow your Shepard. That makes us hunt-companions." He snarled something in yahg over his shoulder, and most of the others began dispersing. "The machine-flesh ones will know that we scorn them soon, and they will attack. Shepard and Sarolan both wish you brought to our nest."

All of the elcor traded nervous glances, but Cowabunga nodded. "Neutrally: Lead the way." They started off, led by a handful of yahg, even as the sounds of fighting and yahg hunting cries echoed through the street.

* * *

"It's really that easy for you to stop following Saren?" Shepard asked, somewhat nervously. They were outside of Afterlife for the moment, Sarolan surveying the destruction left behind. Garrus and Legion watched them from the door.

"Of course. You have beaten him, therefore you are superior to him. Our chances of surviving and eating are better with you than with him." Sarolan twitched two eyes sideways to look at Shepard, even as her others looked at the remains of Saren and the still-breathing Aria. "Why does this one still breathe? You should snap her pitiful neck, and eat of her meat. Take out her heart and devour it, taking her strength to bolster your own."

Shepard fought down the urge to retch at the thought. "There's still useful information I can get from her. Also, my species – actually, none of the other Citadel races – eat any other intelligent species. In fact, doing so is a crime." She knelt down next to Aria, staring into those furious, glowing eyes. "Not so tough without your dragon, are you?"

"Shepard," the fallen once-queen rasped, "I will destroy you!" Her eyes suddenly turned the jet black familiar of asari mind melds, and her body twitched as struggled to touch the human Spectre anywhere.

But the Commander just laughed, her own hand pulsing fitfully with biotic power, every surge blurring out her vision. "Aria, you really don't want to do that with me," she taunted. "But I know a couple of asari who I think would be happy to, once we figure out how to stop you from indoctrinating them. In the meantime, you'll end up back on the Normandy, hooked up to a lovely life support system in a sleeping pod. You'll stay there, until I decide I don't need you anymore." She released her biotics, letting Aria breath again, and patted the banshee's cheek lightly.

"Instead of feasting on your enemies, you cripple them, leave them vulnerable to the weakest predator, then turn them into trophies," Sarolan mused. "A curious practice, but a sensible warning. What is this indoctrination you spoke of?"

Shepard boggled for a moment, but considered it as they walked back towards the club. "The Reapers that Saren served, some of their technology has the capability to change the way someone thinks. Makes them support Saren and his plan, even if they had been opposed to it before. Makes people willing to turn themselves into husks." She pointed at a marauder corpse, missing the entire left leg from the hip down, most likely from a krogan shotgun. "That hasn't happened with your people?"

"No, and it explains this Saren's agitation. He wished for yahg warriors to volunteer to undergo the same process. None accepted. He brought in machinery to our living and sleeping spaces, waited several days, and asked again, with the same result." Four glittering eyes locked on Shepard as they passed into the corridor of Afterlife. "They tell us that Saren and the ones he follow are powerful, more powerful than any in this galaxy. That we should serve them, turn ourselves into their servants. But the husked ones have no thought. They cannot hunt." She shook her massive head ponderously. "A yahg who cannot hunt is only meat."

Garrus boggled at this as they stepped back into the main part of the club. "So, what, you just ignored it?"

The yahg matriarch looked at Garrus like a teacher to a perpetually dim-witted student. "My instincts tell me to leap upon you and eat you, even though I know you will poison me, and Shepard will kill me for my failure to obey her orders. The devices tell me to obey them, but only by giving up everything that makes it possible for me to act. There is no benefit there, no chance of survival for me or my genes. Why would I follow such a failed act?"

"Your yahg warriors in the tunnels didn't seem to have much problem throwing themselves into certain death," Shepard pointed out.

Sarolan sniffed. "Males," she dismissed. "Their instincts is to prove their fighting power, prove their virility, even should the cost of failure be death. And a good thing, too, or else our race would be overwhelmed with fragile weaklings, perished at the hands of creatures far our inferior."

Ashley muttered something that might have been a, "God forbid _that_ happens," but it was quiet enough for Shepard to pretend she didn't hear it, even if Garrus obviously had. The soldier sat next to Jack, now succumbed to unconsciousness. "She's not doing good, Commander. That hit from Saren definitely drove bone shards into her lungs. The medigel will keep her from dying, but," Ashley hesitated, looking up at the yahg, "unless we get her back to Chakwas, she's not going to live short of God granting us a miracle."

"You fight to keep her alive, when such an injury would leave her dead within a day." Sarolan leaned over the tattooed biotic, inhaling deeply. "She smells of rich blood."

Shepard's hand smacked into the yahg's chest, and though physically she'd never have managed the feat, the matriarch allowed herself to be nudged backwards, and it probably wasn't because all nine krogan had suddenly reached for their weapons. "If I can save her, she will continue to fight at my side. If you watched our battle, you know she is mighty. How many of your warriors could have taken a punch like that and still attacked?"

"Few indeed." The yahg stood back, satisfied. "Then we come to your plans for this place. What will happen now? What do you decide for my people? They are already approaching, moving through the station towards us. The husked ones know we follow a greater power than they, and they have attempted to stop my hunters."

_She couldn't have mentioned this in the last ten minutes?_ Shepard thought grimly, fingers twitching as she ran through plans in her head. _If Saren knew they were not fully under his control, he wouldn't have put them in here with the controls._ "We need to destroy the power plant and major air circulation for the entire station. Do you still have warriors down below who can do that?"

"Grimly: We can take on that mission," Cowabunga said from the door. The sight of the eight elcor, even with their scarred armor and bleeding wounds, was enough to make Shepard smile with relief.

"As much as I appreciate that, Cowabunga, I have another mission for you. How many of your crew can pilot a ship? At least long enough to make two or three relay jumps?" She was still utterly ignorant at reading elcor expressions, but she was guessing that he was probably frowning.

"Shepard, what are you thinking?" Garrus hissed, leaning over her shoulder. "We can't take the _yahg_ with us!"

"I'm not going to leave them here, not if they really _are_ immune to indoctrination! It's possible we can figure out why, and even if we can't, I'd much rather we figure out a way to deal with them that doesn't involve bloody firefights and leave half of each side lying on the ground." She glared over her shoulder at him, and he pulled away a little. Sighing, she pulled up her omni-tool, pulling up the list of the ships and skimming their capabilities. "There is one down by the machinery levels. Cowabunga, here's eight ships." She pulled up the hologram, nodding thankfully to Tali as the quarian instantly improved the display. "One elcor to each one. The yahg will accompany and protect them, unless they'd like to die on board without air or power."

"They will obey," Sarolan said, and the yahg inside Afterlife already leaping to ready weapons and gather their few belongings.

"Creator-Zorah and I can carry Jack-Adept," Legion volunteered. "Our combat drones can remain active to assist." Tali did give the unconscious woman a slightly nervous glance, but she nodded in agreement.

"Alright. The yahg sabotage the power and air. We take off, blast the station with all the firepower we have as an encore, and then move for the Citadel." She glanced around, getting nods of agreement. "So let's quit standing around."

"Are we killing Aria on the way out, then?" Garrus asked, readying his assault rifle.

Shepard sighed. "I want to bring her with me, but I don't think that's the wisest idea right now."

"I can carry her for you," Sarolan said. Without turning, she raised her eyebrows at the turian, who gave a subtle shrug of one shoulder.

"Alright, if it won't impair your ability to fight," Shepard said, earning a dour glare from the matriarch.

To Shepard's surprise, there were either far more yahg on the station than she thought, or they were much better about clearing a path for them. Between Afterlife and the Normandy, not a single husk or Collector appeared to block their path, or even take pot-shots at them from a building. As the Normandy cargo door lowered, Shepard blinked at the sight of Emily Wong standing there, her camera hovering above her. "Commander Shepard! How did you convince the yahg to turn on Saren and side with you?"

"Why is that loud one questioning you, and shining a light at us?" Sarolan demanded, lumbering forward and tossing Aria to the floor of the bay. "What is the purpose of this device?"

Wong, to her credit, barely paused to blink before answering. "It's a camera. It broadcasts images all over Citadel space, keeping everyone informed of important events."

The yahg considered this briefly, then smiled broadly, showing off every pointed tooth in her tripartite mouth. "I am matriarch Sarolan, and I am the most powerful yahg in space. Only one being has proven stronger than I, and that one is Shepard."

Legion and Tali had already bypassed the group, getting Jack's stretcher into the elevator and up to medical. Shepard stood near the elevator, glad for the moment to have Wong distracted. "Commander Shepard?" EDI asked, her hologram appearing at Shepard's elbow. "I do not believe the elevator is rated for carrying a yahg, in size or weight."

"So you're saying she's stuck down here in the cargo bay while we travel?" She paused, considering. "What's that going to do to our docking on board the Citadel?"

"A standard shuttle should be able to carry her, or it is possible the Council will clear out a larger docking bay. I have already sent clearance requests through normal channels," the AI said, before the hologram blinked out again.

Ashley paused near Shepard, her helmet already off. "Did any of that go how you expected it to?" Shepard shook her head, her vision still laced with static. "Commander, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "But I need to tell Sarolan she's stuck here in the cargo bay until we get there, then I can go to my cabin and sleep."

"You look like you need a lot more than just sleep," Ashley said, but her voice seemed very far away as Shepard strode towards the yahg. She'd finish this, then she could rest for a little while. Forget what Chakwas said. She had to save the galaxy. Then she could rest.


	28. Chapter 28

_Author's Note: So, I did almost no writing during my vacation. Shame on me. On the upside, it means Reloaded is back to Friday updates, which is good for everyone, I hope? I really love all my readers, all 555 of you, and I love reading (and replying to) reviews! :)_

* * *

The next thing she knew, Shepard was staring up at the ceiling of the medical bay. Mostly, she was sure of this because of the smell of medical disinfectant. Also the whirring of the auto-surgery unit, which she hoped meant Jack was being treated. Gingerly, she sat up, looking around.

Sure enough, Chakwas was carefully manipulating the device, picking bone splinters out of her lung tissue and guiding the swarms of special nanites to stitch up the damage and flush the blood out of the breathing tissues. "Lie back down, Shepard," the doctor commanded without turning around. "Or I'll get Garrus to restrain you. Actually, on second thought, not Garrus. Legion." She tapped a command, and one of the arms pulled away from Jack's side, changing tips before returning and beginning to seal up the slashes. "Also, look at that data pad."

Shepard looked around, guessing she meant the pad on the small supply cabinet nearest her bed. She took two steps, leaning heavily on the cabinet as she scanned the open document. It took her three read-throughs before her tired mind caught up. "You relieved me of command?" Really, she wanted to shout at Chakwas, but she was still so tired it came out sounding like a grumpy child one 'No!' away from a temper tantrum.

"It's already cleared with Hackett. You collapsed in the elevator, Commander, and if EDI hadn't alerted me, you would have been found by Emily Wong." Chakwas looked over her shoulder, eyes glinting with anger. "I don't think I need to explain how bad that would be for all of us."

"No, I don't need the next Citadel exclusive to be me passed out in an elevator like an Illium socialite." The hand not holding the datapad scrubbed at her face. "Can I at least go sleep in my own quarters?"

"Yes, you may. The Council wants to speak to you, but after Sparatus tried to interrupt me in the middle of a much touchier part of surgery, I told EDI to space the next person who interrupted me." Chakwas apparently finished, as the surgery arms all retracted. Jack's side was still red and raw, criss-crossed with sutures from the surgery incisions. "You are taking a minimum of twenty-four hours of rest, Shepard. No meetings, no tasks, not even a bloody vid call with Hackett, or I will find a medical reason to retire you from service."

"Twenty-four hours before I can talk to the Council?" Shepard grinned. "I'd kiss you for that alone." The doctor made a shooing motion, and Shepard started shuffling towards the door, her vision still a little staticky around the edges and nerves on fire from pushing her biotics too hard.

When she emerged from medical, Ashley, Garrus, and Gardner were all in the mess area. The two humans drew to attention and saluted her, while Garrus set aside his turian stoicism and rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her to support her. "Spirits, Shepard, you scared us. Are you alright?"

She nodded, licking her lips before answering. "Damn near burned out my biotics. Chakwas has put me on mandatory bed rest for the next day." She blinked over at Ashley, looking surprisingly rumpled in an old jumpsuit and her hair let down. "Williams, help Garrus keep the ship running. When the Council tries to strong-arm their way in here, tell them you're authorized to shoot anyone entering my quarters who's not Garrus, Chakwas, or bringing me food."

Ashley grinned. "Aye-aye!" She kicked her feet up on a table, grinning at Gardner and pulling a small pistol out of one pocket. "See? That's the kind of reason I carry a holdout weapon now."

"You're all bonkers," the chef said, shaking his head as he returned to mixing up something over the stove.

Leaning into Garrus, and wishing he'd gone and changed out of his armor, Shepard made it into the elevator. "So, what happens now?" Garrus asked quietly.

She fought the urge to groan. "Now, I get a lot of sleep, then talk to the Council, see if I can't convince them to make at least a provisional peace with the yahg. Yeah, their behavior was pretty atrocious, but they were lied to by Saren, and I don't even want to know what kind of society they have when killing and eating someone who disagrees with you is the default course of action."

The elevator doors opened, and Garrus promptly drew his pistol while Shepard was forced to settle for a harsh glare. "EDI, how did this person get in here?" There was several seconds of silence where no one moved. "What the hell did you do to my ship?"

"I did nothing to your ship," the Dalatrass said calmly, hands still concealed in her sleeves. "Except temporarily disable the sensors from detecting my presence. Or anyone's presence in this compartment." She matched Shepard's glare, utterly ignoring Garrus despite the pistol a meter from her face. "What happened to Spectre Bau?"

"Saren killed him." They continued to glare at each other, the salarian clearly expecting more details, Shepard too pissed off about the invasion of her ship to care. "Now get the hell out of my way. I'm under doctor's orders to get some rest."

"Not until you answer me," the Dalatrass all but shouted, drawing herself up regally. "How do I know you didn't kill him yourself to protect Solus?"

Furiously, Shepard launched herself forward past Garrus, slamming the frail salarian into the doors of her quarters. "Listen to me, you arrogant little bitch," she hissed. "I _liked_ Jondam. He's the only Spectre I've met who's worth a damn. If I could have saved him, I would have. As for Mordin, your species has had _fifteen hundred fucking years_ to fix the epic fuck-up you made when you uplifted the krogan. At any time, you could have worked to guide their civilization, turn around their society, turn them into functioning and valued members of the galaxy.

"But instead, you went and fucked it away. Neutered them, set them into a downward spiral of self-destruction so you could feel all smug and moral when they died out, knowing that you didn't actually kill them yourselves." She slammed the Dalatrass against the doors again, hands glowing with biotic power despite the burning pain she felt. "You've had _fifteen hundred years_! And you've done fucking _nothing_! So if you won't do it, then I damn well will, and prove to the whole galaxy that we don't need your blind prejudices."

Her shaking hands finally dropped the salarian, and she slumped backwards, finally catching against the wall next to the elevator. "Now, you can get the hell off my ship, or Garrus can shoot you and claim self-defense." Her grin was tired, but her eyes were still bright. "After all, there's no sensor footage to prove me wrong, and I'm sure there's people on Sur'Kesh who'd love to take your place."

The Dalatrass drew herself up, grimly shaking her robes out properly. "You will regret this, Shepard," she snarled as she moved around Garrus towards the elevator.

"Don't count on it," both of them said in unison. Garrus didn't put the pistol away until the doors closed, then he extended a hand to help her rise. "EDI?"

"I am here, Garrus. Strangely, my log shows a complete lack of sensors in this area for the last forty-seven point two minutes." The holographic ball seemed smaller and brighter than Shepard remembered.

"The Dalatrass is on board, and she has some way of disabling your sensors. Alert Williams and Legion, and send them to wherever your sensors aren't recording," Garrus ordered. "Don't let the elevator come up to this floor unless myself or Shepard authorize it."

"Sensors are currently offline in the CIC. Legion and Williams are responding." The AI's hologram winked out.

"Wasn't that exciting," Shepard complained, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Sorry about that," Garrus said. "She showed up with Sparatus and Valern earlier, and a dozen aides, sycophants, and bodyguards." His voice was sour with shame, the flanging harsher than usual. "She must have slipped away at some point while Williams, Joker, and I were trying to give them the runaround."

She reached up to stroke one mandible with her fingertips. "It's alright, Garrus. If not now, she would have shown up later. Or tried to strong-arm me in public where I couldn't get away with threatening to shoot her." They reached the bed, and she collapsed onto it, feet dangling off the end, face down into the blanket. "Oh, this feels so good."

He laughed at her, and she let him take off her clothing and tuck her under the covers. "You're not going to join me?" she asked, eyes already half closed.

"Shepard, much as I'd like to, I don't think it would reflect well on either of us if you fell asleep halfway through," he teased her. He watched as her eyes closed as she chuckled, and with a yawn she was clearly gone. He stalked quietly back to the door. "EDI?"

"Yes, Garrus?" He probably shouldn't have been surprised that she pitched her volume level to the same almost-whisper he had, but even after a few weeks, he still wasn't used to dealing with a fully-functional AI.

"Let me know if she wakes up, wherever I am." He slipped out of the room.

"Of course. Also, Councilor Sparatus has asked for you to meet him in his office."

He couldn't stop his mandibles from clenching in annoyance. Admittedly, he didn't really know Sparatus very well – the man tended to be aloof, hardly seen outside of Council meetings and the occasional media appearance. Compared to Tevos, or the Primarch, or any one of a dozen generals, the man was practically a hermit. But he'd seen the man on a few occasions now, and what Shepard had said about his other-future behavior didn't leave Garrus confident about the form this meeting was going to take.

He came out in the CIC, to find Tali and Legion setting up some kind of secondary sensor net in the neck of the ship, while Williams was leaning over the main console, studying specs. "Problems?"

"Just trying to figure out how that salarian bitch got in here," Williams spat.

"And how she managed to give us the slip?" he asked dryly. She glared at him for a moment, before picking up from his voice and stance that he was pissed at himself no less than she was.

"Yeah, that too." She rubbed one hand over her temples. "Damnit, I almost wish Shepard had picked Alenko over me. At least he'd know what to do here."

"You haven't done that bad," he said, surprising himself by meaning it. "You've kept your head under pressure, went with us through the worst of Omega, and when you found out that the proverbial s'kak hit the rotating assembly, you handled it."

"Thanks, I think." She stared down at the specs a moment longer, then shifted to the side a little bit. "You got any ideas how we can stop her or anyone else from pulling this again?"

"Sure. Shoot them before they walk in the airlock." She snorted in laughter. "Oh, you meant serious ideas." He stepped up, leaning past her shoulder. "As far as the technical stuff goes, Tali or Legion are the ones to ask. But what you can do is what Shepard does. Roam the ship, talk to everyone, make sure they know what to do."

Williams stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm not sure I follow."

He leaned against the railing. "Shepard goes through the ship at least once a day. Usually more like three or four, when she's not on the ground. She goes to every compartment. I've even heard EDI reminding her she's in the wrong bathroom." Williams snorted again, her mouth tugging up in a smile.

"The point is, she does that so that she can know every spot on this ship. Even the storerooms, she knows well enough to know what Gardner's going to place on order. But what you can do is talk to them about what to do about intruders." He pointed at Draven, currently cursing at her console some human dialect his VI didn't translate. "Outside of basic training, and Saren's boarding, how often has she fired a gun? She's not carrying now."

Williams leaned around him, frowning towards the communications tech. "How can you tell?"

Garrus grinned, and stepped down, motioning Williams to turn towards him. "For starters, no hip or shoulder mounts for a weapon." He pointed at the spots. "Easy enough to put a magnetic point on coveralls. Humans normally conceal weapons at the small of the back, or the front of the waistband, but those still drag on the clothing or cause a bulge." She glanced over her shoulder at her own rear as he continued. "Other popular spots are at the ankle, like Shepard does, the base of the neck, or in the, um, cleavage."

She followed his pointing finger, and he promptly dropped his hand, trying to control his embarrassment. "You really put that much study into it?" she asked neutrally, apparently willing to forgive the potentially lewd gesture.

"I was a C-Sec cop for four years. Before that, I was a military patrolman. You pick those things up." He waved his hand irritably. "I'm getting sidetracked again. You should talk to them about what to do if they suspect someone has snuck on board. Or forces their way on board."

"Counter intrusion tactics?" Williams nodded thoughtfully. "I can do that. Wait. Why am _I_ the one doing this?"

Garrus sighed. "Because the turian Councilor has 'graciously request' my presence." He made sure to do the air quotes.

"Better you than me," she said brightly, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Williams, that really makes me feel better," he groused, moving around the galaxy map. "Call my omni if anything at all happens."

"I will," she promised. "Oh, and Garrus?" she called just before he passed Tali's new sensor net. "You can call me Ashley."

He gave her a wave, Tali and Legion a polite nod as they started arguing in quarian again, and stepped out the airlock. They had been given a larger berth than usual, in an area of Bachjret Ward normally used for warehousing and industrial manufacture. All the ships with yahg had docked here, the yahg being escorted to a pair of warehouses very hastily converted into living quarters. The only other place on the station that could hold them was the elcor districts, and everyone but Udina had caused such a stink about that it never happened.

There were two aircars next to the Normandy, guarded by a trio of C-Sec officers in heavy armor and carrying large assault rifles. "Hey guys," he greeted, receiving three careful nods, their gazes still sweeping the passageways and nearby rooftops. "Nervous?"

"Have you seen the footage of what these guys did on Omega?" one of them said, apparently an asari from the voice.

"I was _on_ Omega," he said simply, causing her to take a closer look at him.

"Wouldn't you be nervous?" she responded, going back to watching the roof of the warehouse.

"There's a hundred and fifty yahg in there. If they wanted you dead that badly, tensing yourself up like this isn't going to make a difference." He shrugged, opening the aircar door. "That said, their leader has given a pledge of parole, so for the moment, we trust them. We used to trust the batarians here too." None of them responded to that as he climbed in and set the auto-pilot for the Council tower.

The C-Sec guards at the doors to the private offices waved him through; he actually recognized Flavius Tavik from their C-Sec Academy days, and they nodded respectfully to each other before exchanging a brief handshake. But as much as Garrus would have liked to catch up, Sparatus was waiting for him.

The office was a mix between Spartan simplicity and elegant luxury. The desk was hand carved _tikki_ wood, imported from Palaven, and probably cost more than his yearly C-Sec salary. The chairs were plush and soft, the one shelf covered in mementos and gifts Sparatus had collected in his fifteen years as the representative of the Turian Hierarchy, and they ranged from priceless to cheap-but-obviously-sentimental. Yet for all this, there was no extras in the room; the floor was standard Presidium ceramic floor tiles and there were no fancy pieces of art from long-dead masters of their craft.

"Garrus. Welcome. Have a seat." Sparatus nodded politely as he entered, closing down the terminal on his desk and leaning forward. "We haven't had much of a chance to talk, aside from a few words on Rannoch."

"No, we haven't." Garrus sat as close to attention as he could, despite the comfortableness of the chairs. _That must be why he has this stuff,_ he thought absently. _Dazzle them with signs of who he knows, comfort them with these chairs. Then the threats of abuse of power come out._ Technically, Sparatus wasn't bare-faced, but few indeed were the turians who actually trusted a politician.

"You come from an impressive family. Your father, and you, could have been Spectres if you chose. Two uncles who made Colonel in the military. Your sister's a rising star in the scientific world as well." Sparatus laced his fingers together, leaning his chin against them. "I get the feeling you don't like me much."

"I don't really know you, Councilor," Garrus answered. "It would be more accurate to say, Shepard doesn't like you much, and I can understand her reasons for it."

The Councilor nodded, leaning back in his chair. "I actually get that a lot," he said sadly. "Did you know, before I accepted this job, I was in starship engine research and development? I can tell you didn't. For all I've spent doing this job, and as aide to Councilor Julius before me, I'm still a scientist at heart. I want to see _proof_ of something." He sighed. "Occasionally, like with Saren, that turns around to bite me."

Garrus was quite puzzled with this turn in the conversation. "I'm not sure I follow, sir."

"You think Shepard was the first one to come forward claiming that Saren, or another Spectre, was corrupt? Hell, we get reports like that daily. Ninety-nine percent of them are someone disgruntled because they lost something, or just because a Spectre insulted them or borrowed their aircar or broke a door down at their business." He scoffed, then grew silent again. "But Saren, well, he always came back with the mission objective complete. That earned him a lot of favor, with all three of us. We knew if we put Saren on a job, it would be completed."

They sat in silence for a few uncomfortable seconds. "I'm not sure what any of this has to do with me," Garrus finally said.

Sparatus slowly straightened up in his chair. "How long was Saren indoctrinated by the Reapers?"

Garrus opened his mouth to answer, then closed it and activated his omni-tool. "Legion, when did Saren approach the geth with Nazara?"

"By the turian calendar, one hundred fifty-seven days before his attack on Eden Prime. Why do you ask, Vakarian-Operative?"

"Trying to figure out how long Saren was indoctrinated, Legion. Thanks." Garrus cut the channel after a moment, when the geth did not appear to have more information. "So, I'd say at least a year, out to a possible answer of 'longer than he's been a Spectre.' Spirits, if he was indoctrinated before, it would make a great deal of sense to become a Spectre. Clear power, no oversight, full permission to do almost anything."

"Well, now I know why you never became a Spectre," Sparatus said. "But that doesn't really help me." He turned in his chair looking at the shelf. "Do you know how many of those were gifts from Saren?" Garrus froze, already calculating the odds. "None. He tried, a few times, to give me something. But I think he's been indoctrinated for years. I haven't let him back in my office since the first time he tried to give me something. Some lost piece of Prothean tech, he claimed, aged beyond the point of usefulness.

"I gave it to my aide and ordered it destroyed, clandestinely. But over the years, he tried giving me other things. Some of them I had destroyed, but others I just gave away. Regifted, as it were." He turned back to Garrus, his eyes dark and haunted. "How many other people, acquaintances or distant relatives, have I exposed to indoctrination without being aware of it? And how do I know I'm not?"

Garrus thought it over carefully. "The only thing I know for certain that can detect it is the Prothean VIs, but one of the Alliance priorities is building a scanning device. Preferably one that can be integrated into an omni-tool." He hesitated, but finally continued. "I think that questioning it means you're not, but I really don't know."

Sparatus sighed, seeming to almost deflate. "If I cannot be certain, then I must return to Palaven, and give the Primarch my resignation." He looked up, his eyes dark and haunted. "I want to nominate you to serve in my place, but for all the good you could do the Hierarchy that way, I fear I might stop you from doing more for the rest of the galaxy."

"No way," Garrus instantly protested. "I can't be Councilor!"

"Ah, you could be one indeed. You could be a great Councilor, I think. Just like you could be a great Spectre. Or a great pirate leader in the Terminus systems, if it came to that." Sparatus rose slowly to his feet, leaning on the desk as he extended his other hand to Garrus. "I wish you luck, Garrus Vakarian. Save us from the Reapers, because I know I cannot." Dazed, Garrus shook the offered hand, and left the office. Somehow he got back to the Normandy without causing any accidents, and walked past Joker, Williams, and Gardner, locking himself in the forward battery to sit down in a corner, wrapping his arms around his legs.

What had he gotten himself into?


	29. Chapter 29

_Author's Note: It's taken me all damn morning to write this chapter, and it's only two scenes. The most surprising part is that Shepard isn't in either one of them! In fact, she's barely mentioned. I expect she'd be quite surprised at all the stuff she set in motion, but you can't uncrack an egg, and other wise-sounding sayings. Thank you to all my loyal readers; this story has taken off quite beyond what I ever imagined, and writing this story and knowing it's being read by hundreds of people is a thrill!_

* * *

Liara jerked awake in the chair, eyes wild as they jerked around the room until her brain finally caught up. She had fallen asleep in the clinic, a privately owned place Aethyta knew of on Lusia, after a week on Illium had gained them nothing. She was still looking around in confusion, trying to figure out what had awakened her half an hour before dawn, when the door opened, and two burly Alliance marines entered.

She bolted to her feet, her biotics ready, but the two men had not drawn weapons, only glanced around the room. The taller one looked her over, and held one hand up peaceably. "Easy there. We're friendlies."

"I do not believe armed soldiers, breaking into my mother's room under cover of darkness count as friendly," Liara replied frostily.

"We're not breaking in, doc, we're clearing the room. It's what bodyguards do," he replied again. "'Sides, it's almost dawn."

"And just who are you supposed to be guarding?" she asked. Her biotics were still ready, even though the two men still had not reached for weapons. They weren't even wearing armor, just uniforms, but her emotional exhaustion left her a little paranoid.

"That would be me," said a new voice at the door. She sidestepped enough to see an Alliance officer she did recognize, though it took her a moment. "Admiral Hackett. I don't think we've been formally introduced, Miss T'Soni, but I've heard about you."

Sheepishly, she dropped her hands, letting her biotics fade. "Of course. I recognize you." Still bewildered, she glanced at Benezia's comatose body, then back at Hackett. "But I'm wondering why you were here."

"Military intelligence, of course. There are very few people we can be absolutely certain have been indoctrinated, and regretfully your mother is one of them." He snapped his fingers, and a lanky blond man came into the room, holding a cobbled-together piece of equipment the size of her head. "So to ensure the indoctrination scanner works, this seemed far simpler than trying to bring her to Arcturus. Mr. Verner, turn it on."

The blond nodded jerkily, fiddling with a small control panel. It hummed softly, but otherwise made absolutely no visual indication of what it was doing. After about ten seconds, as Hackett's scowl continued to deepen, it finally beeped with a light on the top glowing red. "She's indoctrinated, sir."

"We knew that already. Scan everyone else in the room, one at a time," Hackett said. "Start with me." He stood still as the scanner hummed quietly, the light eventually glowing green with a friendly bell tone. The two soldiers were next, the burly one looking faintly amused the whole time as they also turned out green, and finally Liara. "Don't forget yourself, Mr. Verner."

"Uh, Admiral, I can't hold it and scan myself at the same time," he protested.

"Then this is a good time to teach someone else how it works. Hand it to Miss T'Soni, she has enough technical training to handle it," Hackett ordered. Verner gingerly handed it over, reluctantly showing her which controls to use, then stood in front of her while she activated the machine and pointed it at him. Ten seconds later, it glowed green. "Good. Miss T'Soni, is there somewhere nearby we can talk without being overheard?"

"I don't know," she answered, blinking rapidly in confusion. Wasn't his business here finished, now that he knew his device worked? "I have an apartment nearby, but I don't think it's quite up for hosting visitors." She couldn't remember the last time she'd done the slightest bit of cleaning, and she knew for a fact she had dirty clothes laying in a hamper next to the door.

"I find that company matters more than atmosphere when there's no bullets flying, and sometimes when there is." He smiled disarmingly, and she couldn't stop her heartbeat from speeding up a little bit. "Mr. Verner, take the scanner back to the ship, Sergeant Kapli will take you."

Still feeling nervous and confused, she led them out of the clinic and down the street towards her apartment, trying not to fidget under the curious stares of the asari they passed. Hackett and his mountain of a guard weren't the _only_ humans on the street, but it certainly felt that way. The dingy apartment, six blocks from the clinic, was the cheapest, closest vacancy to the clinic. Even though Liara could easy draw upon funds from both Benezia and Aethyta, the judging glances from the tellers made her as frugal as possible.

She keyed open the door, shoving the overflowing hamper aside and leading them inside. The room seemed spacious, despite its small size, with no furniture beside a couch, a cot, and a small folding table and chair. Hackett looked at his guard, who nodded silently and stepped back outside, the door swishing closed behind him. "So, now you make me an offer I can't refuse?" Liara asked, licking her lips.

"No, you can refuse, but I hope you won't," Hackett said. He leaned forward, hands clasped and elbows on his knees. "It's about Shepard."

This at least made slightly more sense; Shepard was obviously one of Hackett's protégés. "What about Shepard? I haven't talked to her since Illium."

"Have you been following what she's been up to?" She shook her head, and he pulled up a few headlines on his omni. _Human Spectre kills Saren again! How many remain?_, followed by, _Shepard brings Yahg leader to the Citadel_, then _Human Spectre lets Salarian hero die_.

"I doubt the veracity of some of those sources," she said. "I don't see Shepard _letting_ anyone die."

"She didn't, I saw the relevant helmet cam footage myself. But that won't stop people from making those accusations anyway." He shut off his omni-tool, watching her quietly for a moment. "She could use your help."

"My help? Goddess, what would she need a barely creditable archeologist for? She obviously has some of the best people in the galaxy lining up by her side, and besides, my mother –"

"Isn't going to get better any time soon," Hackett cut her off. "I don't mean this to sound harsh, but even if we can find everyone who is indoctrinated, it will be months at _best_ before we can figure out how to undo it." His knuckles were white with the strength of his grip. "I do, truly, understand your desire to sit at your mother's side. But the sad fact is, sitting there will do nothing for her, the rest of the asari, or the rest of the galaxy. Going out with Shepard might."

They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them lost in their own thoughts, looking anywhere but at each other. "Why would Shepard want _me_?" Liara asked again, and he looked up in surprise.

"She didn't … well. That's not my place to tell, and it's possible I read the situation wrong, but I think Shepard will welcome your contributions." He rose slowly to his feet and stepped towards the door. "I'll be in orbit for another two hours, doing some maneuvers with the local asari forces, if you decide to accept my offer. Good day, Miss T'Soni, and good luck to us all."

"That's Doctor," she said, and he paused, letting the door swish open as he glanced over his shoulder. "The degree I earned is the equal of an earth university doctorate. If you're going to try and sweet talk me, you should at least get my title correct." Her lips pressed together as she fought the irrational urge to help him out the door with a biotic shove.

To her surprise, he smiled, a broad grin that lit up his eyes quite differently than the perfunctory greeting at the hospital. "My apologies, Doctor," he said, filling the word with respect. "You're quite right." Hackett then turned and left, the door slipping closed on the confused expression of the burly marine.

It took half an hour, sitting there in the folding chair still facing the empty couch and mulling over his words, before Liara activated an outside comm line. She cut off the answering officer before he could do more than open his mouth. "Tell Admiral Hackett I accept, and I'll expect a shuttle to meet me at the clinic in an hour." She cut off his spluttering protests with the channel, and rose, moving towards the corner that made up her bedroom. As she opened her travel case, the door chime sounded, and frowning, she turned away from packing to see who was interrupting her now, of all times.

Now it was her turn to be cut off, as she opened the door and looked up, and up some more. "Hey, Doc, Admiral Hackett said you might need some help packing?" She blinked in surprise at the burly marine, leaning casually against her doorframe. "You need a hand, or should I just wait out here. Why are you laughing? I didn't think it was funny!"

* * *

"This really is an incredibly resourceful set-up, Miranda. I am impressed." They walked down the corridor, past a trio of armored turrets.

"You haven't seen everything yet, but we're almost there," she promised, slowing her steps a little bit. She had a precise schedule she needed to keep to, and her eagerness wouldn't do her any favors. For the first time in years, she felt inspired, adrenaline singing through her veins from sheer anticipation. "In here is the hub." She hit the door control, stepping aside to let him enter first.

The Illusive Man stepped into the heart of the Shadow Broker's domain. A dozen screens glowed, information scrolling and updating as reports from agents on a hundred worlds poured in. "Do you know what we can accomplish with this? Cerberus will be unstoppable! I'll be able to guide the entire galaxy, and we can take control of the Reapers. Humanity will rule the galaxy!"

"You have one tiny detail wrong," Miranda said over her shoulder as she walked over to one display, quickly typing in a response.

"Just what do I have wrong, then? Enlighten me," he demanded, as he pulled out a cigarette.

Instead of speaking, she pressed another key, and the display began playing a video file, the audio clear and crisp as both sides of the conversation played out. "Where is she, damnit?"

"I told you, she's protected," The video-Illusive Man said. "Relax, Henry. She's receiving one of the finest educations in the galaxy. I have agents watching over her right now."

"And I don't care. That little bitch Miranda stole my second chance, and I need Oriana back! How can I train her to take over my company if she's not here?" Miranda pressed the key again, watching her boss through narrowed eyes.

"There's a lot more along those lines. Lots of conversations."

"And yet, you and your sister are still safe," he pointed out with a wave of his cigarette. "I've kept my promise to you. You and your sister are safe from him. He doesn't know where she is, nor will he."

She snorted at that. "Unless I don't give you this ship, right? For that, I don't think you'd even go back to a station, you'd call him from your ship." She stalked back towards him, putting a little extra sway in her hips despite his bored expression. "Isn't that right … Jack?"

He stiffened as his true name fell from her lips, glaring at her as his fingers crushed the cigarette. "You started spying on _me_? After everything I've done for you?"

"I'm not a _toy_, _Jack_. I'm not a possession, nor a mech to be ordered about hither and yon by some man sitting behind a desk with the controls," she spat at him, circling slowly around him. Unbidden, her biotics were already coming to her hand, and he turned with her, right hand in his pocket. She knew what he was reaching for, of course; her plan rested on it. "I'm not _disposable_ like so many of your other assets, _Jack_."

"When it comes to ensuring the prosperity of humanity, _anyone_ is expendable, Miranda!" he spat back at her.

"Even me? Even Henry? Even you?" Just as she expected, he relaxed slightly at the second name.

"Is that what this is about? Fine. I'll have Henry Lawson dead by tomorrow. You can take over the company, or give it to Oriana, or break it up and sell it. Technically, it would be your inheritance." Slowly, he pulled out another cigarette, lighting it with a click from his omni-tool.

She smiled, and he didn't realize it never touched her eyes. "I think there's an excellent plan to be executed," and on that last word, she saw his face as he felt the knife pierce his heart. He opened his mouth to say something, scream or shout an order, and her hand clamped over it. The biotic dampener in his pocket spluttered and failed, not enough to keep her from guiding him down to the floor.

Revealed behind him, Oriana released the knife as he fell, letting it dig further into his back as he hit the ground. In a handful of seconds, they had killed one of the most powerful people in the galaxy, and if she followed her big sister's lead, no one would ever know about it. The smell of blood and feces hit her nose, and she doubled over, stomach clenching and vomiting everything all over the corpse, the floor, and her shoes, Miranda only narrowly leaping out of the way.

Once her stomach finally gave up trying to turn inside out, she fell backwards away from the corpse, burying her face in Miranda's shoulders. They sat there on the floor for several long minutes as the body cooled, Oriana sobbing as Miranda rubbed her back, smoothed her hair, and otherwise remained still and silent.

When her tears ran out at last, she sat up a little, leaning back to look at the older mirror of a face above her. "Is it always like that?" she asked quietly.

"No," the older one said, standing and drawing the girl to her feet. "Let me call in the crew. They'll clean this up, and we can move on to consolidating Cerberus assets." She looked back at Oriana as she moved towards the door. "We might have to have more people killed. Even do it again ourselves."

She nodded once, drawing her arms close around her ribs. "Is he disposable now?"

Miranda turned back, striding quickly over to her sister, grabbing the girl by the chin and meeting her gaze. "It might be _necessary_ to kill people, or to have them killed. But _nobody_ is disposable. Understand?" Licking dry lips, Oriana nodded. "Good."

She walked back towards the door, only to be stopped a moment later. "Mir? Do you suppose I could meet Shepard?"

_All the people in this bloody galaxy you could have picked as a role model, and you pick one of two people who's ever threatened to take you away from me,_ she thought, glad expression wasn't visible to her sister. "Shepard is awfully busy," she said, catching the disappointed sigh. "But I'll see what I can do."

Oriana almost knocked her off her feet with the resulting hug, her own emerging biotics flaring fitfully. "Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best sister ever!"

"But!" Miranda held up an imperious finger, and Oriana sagged. "Right now, biotic training, one hour. If you're flaring like that, put it to use." With a sulky look, the girl slunk away towards their private quarters. Shaking her head, she refused to even think, let alone, say anything disparaging about 'kids these days,' no matter how much she wanted to. She had too much work to do. Shepard might be the one to save the galaxy, but Miranda Lawson would be the one running it.


	30. Chapter 30

_Author's Note: So, as Full-Paragon helpfully pointed out to me yesterday, Reloaded is now the #25 most favorited, in addition to being the #11 most followed, fic in the ME section. I honestly never expected that I would be even half this popular, but I'm glad that people are enjoying this story. It's grown a whole lot beyond idle-daydreaming-on-the-drive-home. As always, I love reading your reviews, even if I'm sometimes too busy to write back! Getting feedback to what you, the readers, like/dislike does help me get better!_

* * *

Twenty-seven hours after Chakwas' ultimatum, Shepard gratefully sank into a chair in the Council meeting room. She would never admit it to the doctor, but the enforced rest felt surprisingly good after the Omega debacle. "You have a habit of bringing up more problems than you solve, Shepard," Sparatus rumbled around a turian pastry of some kind.

"I'd like to point out, I didn't cause these problems, I only brought them to your attention. Is there even a turian metaphor for 'don't shoot the messenger' or is that wholly a human thing?" Shepard's hands were wrapped around a thermos of hot chocolate, prepared by Chakwas, and fortified with an ounce of Illium fire brandy, most certainly without the doctor's knowledge or approval.

Tevos smiled. "The meaning comes through well enough, unlike some other idioms." She shook her head, and tapped a command into her omni-tool. The main display changed to a still frame from her helmet cam, showing Bau a split second before his death at Saren's hands. "We recognize that you are not to blame for Spectre Bau's unfortunate demise. It's actually more common for a Spectre to die in the line of duty than of old age. We would like to, briefly, go over what happened, before moving on to other current events."

Shepard nodded, repressing a sigh. The Alliance had the same procedures when something went pear-shaped, mostly so all the top brass could convincingly cover their asses and make all the lower ranking people undergo endless rounds of safety training for one-in-a-billion disasters. They didn't spend nearly as long as Alliance Admirals, to her relief.

It was at the end when she managed to open her mouth and screw things up again. "In light of your otherwise successful mission, are there any repercussions we need to be told of?" Tevos asked.

"Aside from the Dalatrass subverting my ship's security systems and waiting in my quarters to accuse me of murdering Bau? Or were you referring to how to convince the rest of the galaxy not to arbitrarily bomb the yahg back to the stone age because they evolved to eat anything that moved?" Her annoyed outburst gave her the most marvelous view of Valern, utterly thunderstruck. _His mouth is hanging open and everything_.

"The Dalatrass did _what_?" Sparatus said, no less shocked but a little better at hiding it.

"The Dalatrass overrode the security protocols, waited outside of Shepard's quarters for her to appear, and threatened to have the entire Salarian Union pull their support from anything Shepard has done," Garrus elaborated. "I was with her, escorting her to bed under strict doctor's orders, so she could recover from her injuries on Omega."

Valern finally recovered, and tapped a quick rhythm on the table. "Tell me, as close as you can remember, what her _exact_ threat was?"

Shepard sighed, propping her head off the table. "In case you weren't aware, Mordin Solus retired from the STG to work on a private project at my suggestion. He's currently on Tuchanka, working on a cure for the genophage," she paused to hold up a hand as all three Councilors prepared angry outbursts, "that will still curb the krogan birthrate without leaving them to bury mountains of dead babies. She accused me of murdering Bau so that he couldn't go murder Mordin to stop him."

Tevos let out an angry breath. "That is … simultaneously audacious, and incredibly arrogant."

"Yeah? Well, where the fuck have the asari been for the last millennium? The Alliance has known for decades that rehabilitation is better than punishment if your aim is to make sure to stop the criminal behavior. I don't know about you, but I'd rather see a lot fewer krogan with no reason to be anything but bitter, amoral mercenaries." She lifted her head just enough to glare around.

"Do humans have any sense of scale?" Sparatus muttered. "You're acting as though curing the genophage is making a childhood science fair project."

"She talked _Mordin Solus_ into it, so he'll probably be finished faster than the average salarian finishes their doctorate," Valern said, shaking his head in awe. "Shepard, you seem bound and determined to make my life difficult."

"She does that to everyone," Garrus said, only pretending to flinch when Shepard bounced her elbow off his ribs.

"If we could get back on topic," Tevos said, "did you have any intentions regarding the yahg?"

Shepard sighed. "Not really. I'm still not quite sure how I talked them into peace. Do you even have laws for what happens when a species gets almost uplifted? They aren't ready for space travel on their own, but they're not far away."

"We can send them back to their own planet, but there's no guarantee that the rest of the yahg won't kill them," Sparatus said.

"Has anyone asked their matriarch about it?" Shepard asked. "No, I take it. Well, we take them home, after explaining they can come and join our society when they can build their own spacecraft and agree to obey galactic law. Maybe I can even ask the geth if they'd be willing to set up a sheltered listening post to keep an eye on them."

"How sure are you that they'll return to their homeworld?" Tevos asked. "Having seen the greater galaxy at large, they might not be content with being stuck on their planet again."

Shepard shrugged. "Hey, I'm not a xenopsychologist. I'm guessing that, as long as you let them keep the shields and weapons they picked up on Omega, they'll go happily. They'll be top dog in no time, and more likely to actually get into space." She sighed, slumping down in her chair. "Are we done here, Councilors? Because no offense, but I'm still beat up from Omega. Medigel might close up the wounds, but it still takes it out of you."

"Yes, Shepard, I think we're done here," Sparatus said, glancing at his fellow Councilors. With Garrus lending a supporting arm, she shuffled out and back towards the elevator. To her surprise, just before the doors closed, the turian Councilor slipped in with them. "I was worried I had mis-timed things," he said.

"What do you want, Sparatus," Shepard flatly demanded.

Rather than immediately respond, he looked at Garrus. "Now I understand your attitude. Please, Commander, let us at least be polite, if we cannot be friendly." He spread his mandibles in a turian smile. "Besides, once you hear what I want, I'd wager you'll be overjoyed to accept."

"Why, you planning to quit?" she grumbled, utterly missing Garrus' embarrassed look.

"The correct word is 'resign,' but yes, actually, I am. I would like transportation back to Palaven. On top of my own resignation, the Imperator has also asked to meet you." They rode in silence for several more seconds with Shepard peering suspiciously at him.

"You're serious?" she finally asked.

"He's serious," Garrus said.

"Shepard, it's a simple train of logic," Sparatus said. "The Citadel is, in fact, of Reaper manufacture, and not of Prothean?" She nodded guardedly. "Exposure to Reaper devices cause indoctrination in a matter of days to weeks?"

"Yes, but I don't see," she started, only for him to slash one hand through the air to cut her off.

"How likely is it that after _fifteen years_ of near-constant residence on the station that I am free from indoctrination?" She could finally see the fear behind the cool, collected Councilor façade.

"Not very," she said reluctantly. "But people have different susceptibility, and if the Citadel was as brute-force as walking into a Reaper is, galactic civilization wouldn't be using it."

"Be that as it may, it still leaves me with no recourse but to either resign, or allow myself to be used like a puppet for someone _not_ on board the station, and knowing myself, I do not think my indoctrinated self would actually abide by someone else's orders," he continued.

She considered this as the doors opened and they walked out onto the Presidium. "Alright. Consider I extend that chain of logic. Then that means Tevos and probably Valern are indoctrinated, as are all of the ambassadors on board," she mused. "Why the hell is everyone taking it so seriously, then, if they should be secretly working for the Reapers?"

"I believe it has to do with the scale," Sparatus said. "Quite honestly, part of me still wants to dismiss it. Even after seeing a dead Reaper, even after the invasions on Dekunna and Altakiril, even after Omega. As you pointed out, the asari unfortunate enough to board Nazara were rather brute-forced into it. The ones we've captured have all demonstrated a startling drop in intellectual skills." He waved his hands around at the Presidium. "If the station did the same thing to everyone who lived here, then you're quite right, no one would want to live here. Someone would blow the hell out of the station and call it a day.

"But if it's something more subtle, more sinster? Not an overriding compulsion to obey the Reapers and work for the downfall of organic civilization, but say, just an urge to dismiss tales of massive synthetics, lurking in the dark places of the universe, coming to exterminate us before we can become a threat to them. Fill them with the certainty that such stories are foolishness. Dismiss the evidence of previous civilizations brought low on a schedule because it is flimsy, and sounds too much like a vid drama. Would that be enough?" Sparatus said.

Shepard was floored. "Councilor, your speech here is the first hope I've had that indoctrination can be beaten. If you can notice all that about yourself, and fight those urges, then why can't the asari commandos throw off their own indoctrination?"

He sighed, and Garrus shook his head. "Some things can't be fixed once they're broken," Garrus said quietly. "You can't un-pull the trigger."

"Quite right. If you'll excuse me, Commander, I do have some other things to attend to, but I will meet you on board the Normandy in a few hours." With a polite handshake, Sparatus left them, striding down the pathway, somehow managing to greet every person whose eye caught his without appearing insincere.

"At least he didn't ask me to be his successor again," Garrus muttered.

"What?" Shepard looked up at him in shock. "Please tell me you're not going to." If Garrus left the Normandy, who did she have left? Tali, Legion, Ashley - more or less; and past that her mind drew a blank.

"Spirits, no! After that whole spiel about staying here and being indoctrinated is his reason for quitting?" He seemed about to say more, before suddenly snapping his mouth closed. It took her several more steps, glancing up cautiously at her lover, before he finally continued. "I was with C-Sec for years. I left the station only twice in that time. If Sparatus is indoctrinated … I could be too."

Ice crawled through her veins, and her heart stopped for a moment. "No, Garrus, you can't be," she protested, her mind whirling as she fought to find something, _anything_ to prove him wrong. "The VI! The Prothean VI, both of them! They can detect indoctrination, and are coded to shut down when they detect indoctrination, but you've been around both of them."

He chewed over that thought for a moment while Shepard fought to keep her poker face relatively intact. "Then doesn't that disprove Sparatus' assumption?"

"Maybe not. If you wanted to control all of galactic civilization, you set up a nice big trap – the Citadel – and then put the indoctrination in the place most likely for the leadership to be." She pointed up at the line of the Council tower, smack in the center of the Citadel. "After all, if you indoctrinate _everybody_, it's going to get noticed. If you just indoctrinate the leadership, you control their civilization and no one is going to contest it."

"That's not to say they couldn't, though," Garrus said, casting a wary glance at a passing Keeper.

Shepard shrugged, then frowned, and looked around at the Presidium. "Garrus, the _Normandy_ is docked on one of the wards. I'm not walking the whole way, so why are we down here?"

In response, he just grinned, holding her arm firmly as he continued walking. After another hundred meters, she could see the crowd up ahead surrounding something, and at the edge of the crowd, Garrus just nudged her behind him and started bulling his way through the crowd. Plenty of the bystanders, of all races, were snapping pictures of her, and for a moment she was filled with dread of seeing her bloodshot eyes and ratty hair on yet another poorly reported headline.

Then the crowd fell away, and she stood at the edge of a mural. Someone had carefully taken powdered metals, searing them into the ceramic flooring material of the walkway, leaving behind a glorious image ten feet wide and twenty tall. An image of Nazara, shattering, as members of every Citadel race poured weapons fire down on it. Dead center was clearly an artist rendition of herself, one hand raised and covered in brilliant cobalt biotics. "C-Sec is still trying to decide whether this is 'sanctioned artwork' or 'tasteless vandalism' so I thought you should see it while they're still trying to figure out which form it goes on."

Blinking rapidly to keep the tears in, she turned back to him. "You still have contacts in C-Sec?"

"Of course. Not as many as I'd like, maybe," he said.

"If they figure out who did this, I want to know if they take commissions. I want to see his take on Jondam." Giving in, she grabbed the collar of his outfit and pulled Garrus in for a kiss, heedless of the pictures being taken. "Let's get back to the ship," she whispered when she finally let go.

"Ah, are you sure you're well enough for that, Shepard?" he asked, almost stammering in nervousness.

She snickered, linking one arm with his. "Why, Officer Vakarian, I just want to make sure Sparatus isn't kept waiting. It wouldn't do good for our reputations if we let a Citadel Councilor sit on the dock cooling his heels."

Catching on at last, he grinned, gallantly escorting her to the nearest aircar station. Lost in their mutual anticipation, they didn't notice the pair of people waiting near the airlock until one of them stepped forward, saluting with the hand not holding a data pad. "Lieutenant Vega, reporting as ordered!"

Remarkably, Shepard did not scream and jump behind Garrus, despite the urgent gibbering hindbrain urge to do that. "Vega? You, but what, why, argh!" She snatched the data pad from his hand, skimming the orders and pausing at the signature. "Hackett. Fine, welcome aboard, sorry if I'm not in the best mood right now, it's not you." She started to hand the pad back, then frowned and took another look at it. "Escorting civilian consultant with prototype?"

"Hello, Shepard," Liara said, coming out from behind the bulky marine. "He's referring to this, a prototype scanner to detect indoctrination." She held up the device, already faintly humming. "It takes a few seconds to work, but so far it appears to work. Admiral Hackett already has Doctor Verner working on coming up with an omni-tool ver – that's odd, it hasn't done that before."

With a growing sense of dread, Shepard stared at the light display on top of the machine, oscillating between red and green.

_Author's Note: Dun dun DUNNN!_


	31. Chapter 31

_Author's Note: Yep, I got rid of Sparatus. One down, two to go. I hope everyone likes his replacement, who will probably prove to be a bigger pain in Shepard's posterior than Sparatus could ever hope to be. As always, I love my reviews!_

* * *

With some misgivings, Shepard led Liara on board, setting up in the meeting room. They arranged the scanner to point at the far wall, so there could be no interference at all with the device, and tried it again. Liara still tested green, as did Vega, Garrus, Ashley, Gardner, Chakwas, and both Dravens. Legion didn't exist as far as the scanner was concerned. But Shepard still gave the same bizarre reading.

They were tossing ideas back and forth with Adams when Sparatus finally appeared. "Shepard, your pilot told me you were in here. What is that?"

"This is a prototype scanner to detect indoctrination, Councilor," Shepard said. "If you really want to know, I suppose now is the time."

The turian simply stood in the doorway and stared at it for several moments as silence filled the room. Drawing in a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he strode forward, Liara and Adams stepping aside to let him pass. Once he was standing in the right spot, Liara activated the device, letting it hum away for an agonizing fifteen seconds before the light finally turned red. "I'm sorry to say you're right, Councilor," Shepard said.

He sagged back against the wall, mandibles drooping in shock. "I never, I didn't," the words stumbled out before he put one hand over his eyes, taking several deep breaths. "As a scientist, I had to acknowledge the possibility, but I never really _believed_ my hypothesis. You did say it was a prototype, is there a chance it's giving a false positive?"

Shepard and Liara exchanged an uneasy glance. "I do not think so," the asari said. "So far, I have seen it scan over a dozen people. The only ones to give a clear positive for indoctrination are you … and Benezia."

"I see." He closed his eyes again, face etched with grief. "Are there guest quarters I can retire to, Commander?"

"Of course. Ashley, guide him to the starboard observation deck." Williams gave a quick salute before leading the stricken turian from the room, leaving only Liara, Adams, Chakwas, Garrus, and Shepard. "Now that just leaves the question of what the hell it's saying about _me_," Shepard said miserably.

"Your own argument works here, Shepard. If you were indoctrinated, the Prothean VI would have vanished," Garrus said.

"Unfortunately, that only proves she wasn't indoctrinated at the time," Chakwas said. "We'd have to get Hackett to tell us where they put the VI after it spoke to the Senate."

"Yeah, but if Shepard's indoctrinated, and she's our primary source of knowledge against the Reapers," Adams trailed off, unwilling to say the rest of it out loud.

Shepard hesitated, then sighed. "Oh, why do I bother. It might not be indoctrination, it might be the effect of the time travel effect that's throwing off the scanner." Adams looked perplexed while everyone else considered it seriously. "The only way I can be sure is to confront one of the Prothean VIs, and see if they suddenly go all groundhog on me."

"Go all what?" Liara muttered. "Forget it. Will your Admiral let us visit it to confirm, however?"

Garrus shook his head. "More importantly, how the hell do we depose the Council?" Everyone turned to stare at him in shock. "Sparatus said as much yesterday. If he's indoctrinated, then so are Tevos and Valern, and probably every ambassador on the station. The heads of C-Sec. All the major corporate lobbyists that hang out around the Council." His face grew more and more grim as he spoke. "Spirits, we're talking about most of the thousand most powerful people in the galaxy."

Shepard paced back and forth for a moment as everyone tried to wrap their heads around it. "Fuck!" she snarled, punching the wall. "The Alliance is clear, but if we try it, everyone else will treat it as a coup. The Primarch, Imperator, whatever his title is, might be clear. The Dalatrass is going to fight it whether she's indoctrinated or not. I don't even know how I'd go about convincing a couple hundred Matriarchs to go along with it, and that's assuming a majority of _them_ aren't indoctrinated from visiting Tevos to demand favors."

"Actually, I think my, father might be able to help with that." The clear pause before she spoke the word said volumes about Liara's familial revelation. "With Benezia's medical records shared, that will go far as well. But one prototype isn't enough, we need the omni-tool version before we can pull it off."

"What about the hanar and volus?" Adams said. "I mean, after Dekunna, if the Alliance comes out and says the Council's indoctrinated, you know the elcor are going to back us, but I don't know about those other races. I don't even want to think about us trying to recruit batarians."

Shaking her head, Shepard returned to the table, staring at the scanner. "The batarian leadership is indoctrinated as well. They found a Reaper corpse a century or two ago. It's part of what's driving their slavery culture, I think. Keep them separated from the rest of galactic society."

"So that puts the Alliance, maybe the Hierarchy, plus the elcor, quarians, geth, and volus," Garrus said. "They'll follow the Primarch if he orders it, it's part of their agreement to be a protectorate."

"I don't suppose there's any other species we made first contact with in the future?" Chakwas asked, again leaving Adams looking skeptical.

"Only one, but I don't think they'd appreciate us showing up and going, 'hey, want to join in a potential galactic civil war?'" Shepard said. "There's the yahg, but I think from a PR standpoint, that would be a net negative for our team."

"Some of the salarians would rebel, especially if we can get proof that the Dalatrass is indoctrinated," Liara said.

Leaning over the table, Shepard rested her chin in her hands. "We can't start anything now, that's for certain. Let's break up this meeting and get the ship moving for Palaven."

Garrus held up a hand. "First, the Primarch and the Imperator are two different people. I know you're not knowledgeable on turian leadership, and I don't think anyone else is either." He glanced around, getting a head shake from everyone else. "The Primarch is the political and military leader. Kind of like your Prime Minister and Admiral Hackett's boss rolled into one. The Imperator is more of a figurehead. He's considered the head of turian religion, as well as the last and final court for all turian concerns."

"The Pope as Supreme Court?" Adams said, rubbing his chin. "That sounds suspiciously like a theocracy."

"Not at all. Turian religion is fairly individualized. Like I said, he's more of a figurehead," Garrus said with a shrug.

Shepard frowned. "So, why are we going to see him with Sparatus then?"

"Because the original treaty that gave us representation on the Council says clearly that the Imperator chooses our Councilor," he explained. "In reality, the new Councilor is still going to be someone the Primarch would approve of, even if it's not his first choice."

"Lovely." She straightened up with a sigh. "Well, I'll dig out a dress uniform then. Let's get moving, I suppose."

* * *

Twelve hours later, after an interminable amount of back and forth with Palaven traffic control, their shuttle landed in front of the Imperator's Palace. A dozen gilt-armored honor guard snapped to attention for the four of them as they disembarked. Sparatus was first, of course, but in a lovely twist of protocol, Legion was next out as the official Geth Ambassador At Large, finally followed by Shepard and Garrus.

They were led inside, through hallways lined with priceless antiques and works of art showing each Imperator going back centuries, possibly even before turian's First Contact with the asari. Finally, the guards crashed to attention in front of a set of double doors, and their officer opened the door, announcing them one by one as they entered.

Shepard's first impression was that the turians had taken an Alliance courtroom, replaced the judge's bench with a throne, and then slapped the whole assembly on the floor of a sports arena. They walked down a path of stairs, between circular rows of benches not quite crowded with turians. The Imperator was an elderly turian, her scales obviously polished to remain bright on a face free of markings, clad in a simple and elegant robe in an eye-glaring shade of fushia. Three stools were arranged before her, her brain mentally assigning them to Defense, Witness, and Prosecution, but they were currently empty. The benches behind them had a few people, and there was a clear place for them to sit.

In the lead, Sparatus walked up to the foot of the throne, standing at attention and meeting the Imperator's gaze before bowing deeply and retiring to his seat. Legion walked up, standing with the utter stillness only a machine could manage, and gave a polite nod. "The geth greet you. We come in peace, and look forward to reaching consensus." This caused a slight stir in the audience, but it didn't seem to be negative, so Shepard shrugged it off.

Her turn now, and she marched forward, surreptitiously wiping her palms against the legs of her dress uniform. Like Sparatus, she stood at attention, and gave her best salute, holding it for a long breath before dropping it and marching to her seat next to the geth. She didn't see all of Garrus' greeting, but he bowed the way Sparatus had.

"We bid welcome to our esteemed Councilor, and the representatives from the Terran Alliance and Geth Consensus." The Imperator nodded politely to them. "Councilor Sparatus, your return from the Citadel is unexpected in this time of uncertainty. Please tell me, and through me the turian people, why you have come."

Standing, he straightened his own suit with a nervous gesture as he strode forward to the center of the arena. "Honored Imperator, it is with a heavy heart that I must resign from my post, and more than that, I must warn whoever is appointed to follow me." He bowed his head, mandibles fluttering with the force of his emotion. "As I recently confirmed with Commander Shepard, I have been Indoctrinated, and the Citadel is at fault."

The roar of shock, cries of outrage and surprise, buffeted Shepard like a wave. _Damn, this place has good acoustics,_ she thought sourly, pressing her hands over her ears to muffle it. It went on for at least half a minute before the Imperator raised her hand, and in less than five seconds, silence reigned again. _And there's that famed turian discipline._

"Councilor Sparatus, we must know how you know this to be true," she demanded, staring down.

Without hesitating, he gestured towards Legion. "Honored Imperator, the Alliance has built a scanner that can detect indoctrination in the same manner as the Prothean VI. I asked Legion to bring it within, so that I might demonstrate." Still staring down, she waved one hand in a clear 'get on with it' motion. "When the person scanned is clear of indoctrination, then it will glow green." After a few seconds it did, the bell noise echoing gloriously in the arena. "But when the person has been indoctrinated, it will glow red."

Legion turned the scanner on Sparatus now, and the buzz accompanying the red light reverberated harshly. "Scan me, then. I, too, have visited the Citadel, and if I have been compromised, then the Turian Hierarchy is worse off than you think." Shepard thought the twitch of the faceplates might have been an expression of worry, but Legion turned the scanner on the throne, and after eight seconds the bell filled the air. "Now, Councilor, explain how this came to be."

He nodded, gesturing Legion back to the bench. "Much of this is still conjecture, but it fits the facts, and I am loath to experiment with another's mental health. We have all seen the Reapers, both Nazara whose attacks devastated Dekunna and our own Altakiril, and the nameless dead one, trapped in Mnemosyne. Even with the Prothean VI to warn us, no one seems to have noticed: the Citadel _is of Reaper make_." He paused, turning to address the audience directly, the gestures accompanying his speech small, forceful, and quick. "The Reapers built the Citadel. They took some unfortunate race and turned them into the Keepers, mindless automatons with no more brain than my omni-tool! They built the mass relays, and have carefully left _just enough_ scraps of the Protheans to ensure we built our ships, our stations, and our weapons the exact same way. They did the same to the Protheans themselves, and so on going back untold millions of years.

"So, then, this comes to me. Does the Citadel indoctrinate people? No matter how much I do not want to believe, I am a scientist, and I must consider evidence and logic. Item the first, I have never come into contact with any other Reaper technology, as has befallen those like Saren Arterius and Matriarch Benezia, yet I am indoctrinated. Item the second, despite the evidence, despite having seen a Reaper _with my own eyes_, my emotions still tell me it is a lie, it is a trick, it is a human fabrication!"

One arm swept wide to point at Shepard, and she frowned at the unhappy muttering coming from the crowd. "But the Mnemosyne Reaper cannot be a human fabrication. The indoctrination of Saren cannot be a human fabrication. Thus, my own emotions are lying to me. Item the third, if a group or species, whether that be the Reapers, Batarians, Terminus pirates, or anyone else, if they wanted to destroy our civilization, they would start with the Council."

Sparatus bowed his head in shame. "I have reviewed my own decisions of the past fifteen years, just as I have reviewed every decision of importance since we turians first joined the Council. And my conclusions are very dark. Every decision of importance the Council has made has made us weaker." Had such a declaration been made in the Alliance Senate, marines would have been called in to clear the visitor section, yet the turian audience was silent, staring down with barely more than a handful of whispers traveling around.

"We released the genophage, which was the right decision at the time. But then, rather than attempt to rehabilitate the krogan as we would do to any turian criminal, we left them to wallow in their own misery and futility. Instead of assisting the volus, turning them into a power and an ally, we subsumed them, treating them as second-hand citizens and poking fun against them. When the quarians fled their home, we turned our backs on them, banishing them from our society completely. They are the only other dextro species we found, and we scoffed at their plight!

"These decisions lead me to believe that the Council Tower on the Citadel is to blame. If every Councilor is indoctrinated – not to go and fight for the Reapers, not to massacre the innocent, but simply to make them more doubting, more arrogant, more small-minded – then every incident since the Rachni War is explained." Finishing, he turned back to the Imperator, standing at attention once again. "In light of all this, Imperator, not only must I resign, but whoever you send in my place must somehow do his job without setting foot in the Council Tower."

Rising from her chair, the Imperator descended the stairs, causing a brief stir among the crowd as she stopped in front of Sparatus and took his hands. "You have served the Hierarchy well, Sparatus, and better than some. Though we recognize the truth of your argument, it is with great reluctance we accept." She ascended back to her throne as he turned on shaky legs and sat back on the bench. "This means that we must name a replacement for you, one with the age and wisdom to do the job, yet the strength of body and will to remain true and uncompromised. General Pontius Vakarian, we bid you come forth."

Garrus' mouth dropped open as his father rose from a bench in the stands behind them, picking his way down to the stone floor to stand before the Imperator. "General Vakarian, you have served the Hierarchy well. We believe you are the best suited for this task, yet one crucial question must be asked before we can appoint you. Ambassador Legion, please scan the General."

The younger Vakarian's hands were clasped tightly, his mandibles pulled so tight Shepard worried his teeth would scratch his face. The elder Vakarian, by contrast, looked bored as the scanner hummed away, finally releasing the clear bell tone. "Good. General, we believe you are suited to be the new Councilor, representing the will of the Hierarchy to the rest of the galaxy. Have you any objections to this post?"

"I do not," Pontius said. "I am ready to serve, Imperator."

"Good. Then from this day, you are promoted from General to Councilor. Serve us well, and represent the Hierarchy so that we may regain the honor that the Reapers have stolen from our past generations." She thumped one hand into the arm of her throne. "We call a recess until tomorrow. Councilor, honored visitors, please join us in our chambers."

The entire arena shot to attention as she rose, Shepard only a fraction of a second behind everyone else. Once the Imperator had left, two of the honor guard only then gestured for them to follow, leading them through more normal looking corridors to leave them in a well-appointed sitting room. Lounging on a couch, dressed in a fairly normal set of pants and a turian-cut Expel 10 shirt, the Imperator greeted them by waving a glass of brandy in their direction. "Come in, come in, and don't stand on ceremony. I have to do enough of that s'kak in the Arena."

Sparatus moved to her side, letting himself be taken in a hug. "I'm so sorry, auntie," he sobbed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Pontius growled, moving towards the small bar on the side. "It's not a soldier's fault if he loses an arm to a sniper, and this isn't your fault. Instead of blowing your arm off, the Reapers took out part of your brain."

"Sorry if I find that less than comforting," the Imperator said. "I mean, if it got him, who else did it get? I've been to the Citadel a dozen times, why didn't it get me?"

"My son and I both worked for C-Sec for years, and we're clean, so I think it's like Sparatus said, it picks out people in the tower," Pontius said, handing Garrus a glass before sipping at his own. "The real question is how much are your Alliance corporations going to charge us for our own scanners?"

"If he hasn't already decided to, I'm going to try and convince Admiral Hackett to release the omni-tool program free when it's perfected," Shepard said, already taking a dislike to Garrus' father.

"Fine, fine. Legion, wasn't it? When are the geth going to send the Hierarchy an ambassador?" the Imperator asked, pointing her glass at the geth.

"You have not asked," he replied. "Our turian ambassador can arrive on Palaven in seven hours, if that is acceptable."

"That sounds marvelous. I can't wait to see Primarch Polonius' reaction, the toothy bastard."

"Wait, you're Sparatus' aunt?" Shepard said, her brain backtracking.

"By marriage. No nepotism though, I was neither Imperator nor his aunt when he became Councilor," she replied. "You can stay on Palaven for a few days, can't you, Commander? I know it's not the most hospitable planet for your species, outside of shielded buildings like this one, but something tells me Pontius will be annoyed if I don't let his son's ship be the one to bring him to his new post." Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she looked at the grumpy Vakarian.

Shepard shrugged. "I don't think it'll be a problem." On cue, her omni-tool buzzed. "Joker, I am standing in front of the turian Imperator right now, so this better be important."

"Admiral Hackett called, saying they finally found a 'Javik,' whatever that is, and to interrupt you," Joker said. "He also said to have the _Normandy_ ready to go the second your foot hit the deck."

Shepard was moving for the door almost before he finished speaking, but stopped before leaving. "Sorry, but this actually _is_ important. I will gladly come back and provide Councilor Vakarian transportation on the Normandy."

"What is a Javik?" Pontius asked.

"Javik is a who, not a what, and he's someone who can probably make the asari sit up and listen," Shepard explained shortly. "Garrus, Legion, let's go. Unless, well, you want to stay here and catch up with your family," she added, almost apologetically.

Garrus looked back and forth between his father and his lover a few times before finally nodding. "I should stop in and say hello to my mom and my sister," he said. "Just keep someone watching your six while I'm gone."

Instead of saying anything, she walked back to him, grabbing the neck of his suit and pulling him down for a kiss, ignoring the shattering glass in Pontius' hand or the Imperator's awed murmur. "You too," she whispered, and walked out.

The door didn't quite close fast enough to cut off Pontius' furious outburst, but she was confident that this Garrus could handle it. "I need to get back to my shuttle," she told the honor guard. "Urgent Alliance business just came up."

They went through the halls quickly, and Shepard dashed for the shuttle, even though five more minutes of exposure probably wouldn't do anything. Javik had been a grade A pain in her ass, but if bringing the last living Prothean didn't get the hanar and the asari on her side, nothing would.

And that thought was what worried her the most.


End file.
